California was given a brief respite on Thursday from the succession of storms that have soaked the state since the beginning of the year.
As the authorities and residents rushed to recover from existing damage, and flooding and sinkholes continue to cause havoc and block off whole communities, two more storms are forecast to hit on Friday and over the weekend.
The National Weather Service says parts of northwestern and central California have already been hammered by between 10 and 20 inches in the last two weeks, leaving the ground saturated. There are now fears of more devastating flash floods to come.
At least 18 people have now died in incidents linked to the extreme weather with the body of a 43-year-old woman discovered in a submerged vehicle in Sonoma County on Wednesday.
Near the city of Paso Robles, five-year-old Kyle Doan, swept away in the floodwaters when he and his mother got stuck in their car, is still missing.
One small positive of the intense rainfall is that it has made a dent in the severe drought the state has been experiencing.
