SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Evacuation warnings were in place in rural Northern California on New Year’s Day after a powerful storm brought drenching rain or heavy snowfall to much of the state, breaching levees, snarling traffic and closing major highways. Major flooding occurred in agricultural areas south of Sacramento, where rivers swelled and floods inundated dozens of cars along State Route 99. Residents of one low-lying community were ordered to leave, and others were told to prepare to leave before roadways are cut off by rising water. More than 4 feet of snow fell in the Sierra. It was the first of several storms expected to roll across California over the span of a week.