HEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) — Heavy rain from a major storm prompted evacuations from communities near a Northern California river that forecasters said could breach its banks Friday, as the system continued to dump heavy snow in mountainous areas where some ski resorts opened for the season.

The storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, mostly in the Seattle area, before moving through Northern California, where several roads were closed due to flooding and strong winds toppled trees.

Forecasters warned about the risk of flash flooding and rockslides in areas north of San Francisco from this season’s strongest atmospheric river — a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows through the sky over land.

Meanwhile on the East Coast, where rare wildfires have raged, New York and New Jersey welcomed much-needed rain that could ease the fire danger for the rest of the year.

In California’s Humboldt County, the sheriff’s office issued evacuation orders and warnings for people near the Eel River, which was forecast to break its banks later Friday. Officials urged residents to prepare for storm impacts throughout the week.

Flooding closed scenic Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, in neighboring Mendocino County north of Point Arena near the Garcia River, and there was no estimate for when it would reopen, according to the California Department of Transportation.

A small mudslide that threatened a home was reported in the community of Fitch Mountain, near Healdsburg in Sonoma County. Moderate rain was falling in the community, and officials said they were concerned the mudslide could grow and hit several homes downhill.

Tennis Wick, permits and resource director for Sonoma County, said the home has experienced landslides in the past and was currently perched atop a muddy slope.

“Our concern is while this property may be OK, the earth between it and the road below is slipping, and the mudslide is affecting downhill properties,” he said.

Dana Eaton, who lives in one of the downhill properties and was clad in a yellow rain slicker and hat, said she was worried, too. In 2019, mud cascaded into a neighbor’s garage and created a mess.