Hours ahead of what's predicted to be a severe atmospheric river storm hitting Monterey County tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 4, Monterey County officials issued an evacuation warning for the Pajaro community in North Monterey County and preemptively closed county parks.
The city of Watsonville in Santa Cruz County, just on the other side of the Pajaro River from Monterey County, has already issued mandatory evacuation orders for neighborhoods with a high risk of flooding during the storm.
The Monterey County warning for the Pajaro area begins at 8am tomorrow morning and will continue until further notice, according to an alert sent out just before 7pm today. Specific information for which neighborhoods are affected can be found here on the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services interactive map.
County parks that will be closed beginning tomorrow include Jacks Peak, Manzanita, Royal Oaks, San Lorenzo and Toro. San Lorenzo Park will remain open for camping. Trails will be closed at lakes San Antonio and Nacimiento.
County road closure information will be updated here.
Residents are encouraged to sign up for the county's alert system at bit.ly/Alertsignups.