Rising floodwaters have caused at least 14,000 people to flee their homes in San Jose, California, as storms cause havoc in the state.
The flooding has caused a major road to be closed in both directions south of nearby San Francisco because of water across lanes.
Officials said they did not know when the US 101, a key commuter link into Silicon Valley, would reopen.
Authorities went door-to-door overnight ordering thousands of residents to leave their homes for safety as streams and reservoirs overflowed.
"The water started to seep in the driveway, and then it started to creep up into the front door. It kept getting worse and worse," said Alex Hilario, who walked in knee-high water to get to his car and leave.
The rains are the latest in a series of storms that are generated by so-called atmospheric rivers that dump massive quantities of Pacific Ocean water on California after carrying it from as far away as Hawaii.
Communities in northern California are also bracing for flash floods for the first time in 20 years, after a surge of water was released from the Don Pedro Dam into the Tuolumne River.
Katie Whitley, who manages the Driftwood Mobile Home Park in Modesto, said residents living close to the river have been moving their trailers out since the start of the weekend.
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