West Coast prepares for biggest storm in more than a DECADE: Thousands evacuated in Nevada while California roads are closed over mudslide fears as millions brace themselves for Mother Nature's worst 

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More than 1,000 homes were evacuated in Nevada and stranded motorists were pulled from cars stuck on flooded California roads in what may be the biggest storm to hit the West Coast in more than a decade.

Two major highways were closed across the Sierra Nevada over mudslide concerns and 1,300 Reno homes were evacuated as the Truckee River started to overflow drainage ditches over the weekend.

As the region braces for another massive storm to hit Monday night, respondents and cleanup crews in both states are clearing debris following the storms.

More than 1,000 Reno homes have been evacuated as the Truckee River started to overflow its drainage ditches over the weekend

Massive storms in Northern California have caused two major highways to close over mudslide fears. Karl Starks (pictured) helps cut and clear a tree that fell from his property in Sacramento

The weather has toppled several trees in California, including the iconic Pioneer Cabin tree that was hollowed out in the 1880s so travelers and cars could pass through. 

The famous sequoia tree was a major attraction at Calaveras Big Trees State Park and it was discovered 'shattered' by a park volunteer, according to the SF Gate.

In other parts of California, crews cleared trees and debris Sunday following mudslides caused by steady rain accompanying the system that could dump 15 inches in the foothills of the Sierra and heavy snow on the mountain tops before it's expected to move east early Monday.

In Nevada, emergency officials voluntarily evacuated homes in a south Reno neighborhood Sunday afternoon as the river began to leave its banks and drainage ditches started to overflow south of U.S. Interstate 80.

The famous Pioneer Cabin tree at Calaveras Big Trees State Park in California was toppled in the storm (left). It was hollowed out in the 1880s so travelers and cars could pass through

The iconic sequoia was a major attraction and it was discovered 'shattered' by a park volunteer 

No injuries had been reported, but high waters forced the closure of numerous area roads, a series of bridges in downtown Reno and a pair of Interstate 80 off-ramps in neighboring Sparks, where the worst flooding is expected to send several feet of water early Monday into an industrial area where 25,000 people work.

Bob Elsen of Sparks said he saw plenty of wet weather in his former hometown of Bremerton, Washington, but he didn't expect it in Nevada's high desert where only 8 inches of precipitation falls annually on average.

'I don't think I've seen this much rain since I moved here six years ago,' Elsen said as he watched the Truckee River's waters rise in Sparks. 'It's why I moved out of Washington to get away from this stuff.'

An avalanche also closed a portion of the Mount Rose Highway connecting Reno to Lake Tahoe for the second time in three days after more than 6 feet of snow fell atop the Sierra last week.

A Santa Clara County Roads and Airport Department worker responds to the scene of downed tree and mudslide in the Santa Cruz Mountain

Spectators wander down the Guadalupe River Trail to watch the swollen river as it flows toward an overpass during a storm in San Jose, California

Schools were ordered closed Monday throughout the Reno-Sparks area. Gov. Brian Sandoval — who declared a state of emergency on Saturday — told all non-essential state employees to stay home Monday.

'All first responders are all hands on deck,' Washoe County Emergency Manager Aaron Kenneston told reporters at a briefing in Reno Sunday afternoon.

Bob Leighton, the Reno Fire Department's chief of emergency operations, called it 'a very dynamic situation that's happening so fast it's hard to keep up with the road closures.'

The storm surge stretching all the way from Hawaii — called an atmospheric river — comes as California enters its sixth year of drought. Each drop of rain is welcomed, but officials said several more big storms are needed to replenish depleted groundwater supplies. 

Sandbags line the doors of the Alamo truck stop and casino along U.S. Interstate 80 due to flooding in Nevada

A van drives through flooded water on Green Valley Road in Graton, California.  On the California coast, weather forecasters anticipate a storm surge from the Pacific called an atmospheric river to dump several inches of rain

In Northern California, toppled trees on Sunday crashed against cars and homes or blocked roads in the San Francisco Bay area, and officials rescued stranded motorists from cars stuck on flooded roads on Sunday. A giant tree fell across the southbound lanes of Interstate 230 in Hillsborough, injuring one driver who couldn't break in time and drove into the tree. A woman was killed Saturday by a falling tree while she took a walk on a San Francisco Bay Area golf course.

There were mudslides and flooding throughout Northern California that led to road closures, especially in the North Bay, one of the areas hardest hit and where the Napa River jumped its banks.

Farther north, the U.S. 395 highway was temporarily closed in both directions in Mono County because of flooding.

Authorities were watching rising water levels of several rivers, including the Cosumnes, Truckee, Merced, American and Russian.

All roads leading to Yosemite National Park's valley floor remained closed amid fears that the Merced River could overflow its banks and cause major flooding.

'It's kind of surreal how empty the park is. There's nobody here,' said Gary Kazanjian, a freelance photographer who spent the night in Yosemite and drove out Sunday as part of a caravan of stragglers.

Local residents braved the heavy rain to fill sandbags near the Truckee River in Sparks, Nevada

A California family pack up their belongings after being told to evacuate the Yosemite Valley Lodge, in Yosemite National Park, California. Other parts of the park remain open, but rangers warn visitors to watch out for ice and falling debris

At the Santa Cruz Diner in downtown Santa Cruz customers kept the crew relatively busy. Manager Garin Peck said the restaurant was quiet Saturday but Sunday was a typical day for the diner near the San Lorenzo River.

'A lot of people expected the storm to be a lot bigger and stayed home Saturday night' Peck said. 'We were expecting a little more from the storm but so far there haven't been any major problems. I have seen a lot worse.'

Forecasters said the storm will begin tapering off late Sunday, but another storm is expected in the area by Monday night.

Relatively mild temperatures were driving up the snowline to above 9,000 feet throughout the Sierra Nevada, causing runoff in the lower elevations, where the ground is already saturated. Forecasters said Sunday it was tracking pretty much as they expected.

'For forecasters who've been here a decade or more, this is one of the most impressive atmospheric setups that we have seen in a long time for potential flooding in the region,' said Chris Smallcomb, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Reno. 'If you had to write a textbook on how to get a flood in the region, you would use a scenario just like this.'

Traffic crosses the raging Truckee River where it runs near the Grand Sierra hotel-casino. The area remains under a flood warning until Tuesday

A man walks in the rain past a covered storefront in San Anselmo, California