Evacuations were issued for thousands of California residents on Tuesday as an atmospheric river approached the coastline, bringing unusually heavy precipitation and widespread power outages. Evacuation orders are in place for the San Mateo, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, though many residents told authorities they would not leave their homes -- even as Cal Fire warned of hazardous conditions. "We cannot stress this enough," the California Department of Transportation in District 3 wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. Winds in California gusted at speeds of up to 77 mph, with reports of fallen branches, according to SFGate. The Santa Cruz and San Mateo CZU Lightning Complex Fire scorched 86,509 acres last August, The Mercury News reported Tuesday.

Source: Fox News January 27, 2021 16:53 UTC