Warning California flooding will bring deluge of snakes

As weather worsens, California’s wildlife is also struggling to find shelters with snake sightings caught on camera

As large parts of California are battered by incessant rainfall due to the 50-year storm, experts are warning that the aftermath of the flooding may also bring a plethora of troubles for the golden state, including a spike in snake sightings.

The sunny state has been hit by storm after storm since December, leaving millions in the lurch and eroding roads, felling trees and causing landslides. Some parts of California are witnessing a brief relief from the storm on Thursday with the weather set to worsen again over the weekend.

The extreme weather is also impacting the diverse wildlife of the state with fears rising that floodwaters could increase the sightings of dangerous snakes in some areas.

One such encounter took place in a flooded Petaluma street this week, captured on video and shared by editor Don Frances on Twitter.

The video shows what appears to be a kingsnake, a nonvenomous reptile commonly found in the western United States and northern Mexico.

The snake was spotted as a number of local roadways were swamped.

The kingsnakes are one of the dozens of species found in California, where frequent flooding, wildfires and urban development has already shrunk their habitat, increasing their sightings in residential areas.

As flooding displaces their home, snakes usually wander out to closeby settlements in search for food and shelter, something that had posed a challenge after floods in Australia as well.

“Rapidly rising flood water from heavy rain can displace wildlife, including rattlesnakes,” Bryan Hughes, owner of Arizona-based snake rescue service Rattlesnake Solutions, told Newsweek.

“This can mean that in some areas, there will be a temporary increase of the likelihood of random encounters.”

Experts also say venomous snakes like rattlesnakes may be better at hiding during such storms and most sightings in residential areas may be of non-venomous snakes that will move away once the storm settles.

“I don’t think that there is a much greater risk of rattlesnakes trying to get into homes specifically. However, if garage doors are left open or doors into the house are left open it’s always a possibility that they might seek refuge from extreme weather conditions,” Jessica Cervantes from California-based Rattlesnake Safety Services told Newsweek.