California Flooding Latest Update: San Jose Rain Leaves Residents Swimming In Streets [PHOTOS]

Mass flooding pummeled San Jose, California, Tuesday, leaving residents swimming in the streets and cars floating down currents of rainwater. And it could soon get worse, officials warned.

The National Weather Service announced a flash flood warning was in effect Tuesday through 10 p.m. local time for in central California, including the Fresno County Foothills, Yosemite and Tulare County Mountains. Heavy rain was expected to fall Wednesday and continue into Thursday. Some areas could see up to 10 inches of water, said CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar. Residents should watch out for mud slides, rock slides and fallen trees, the National Weather Service warned.

The emergency storms came after weeks of rain throughout California left at least five people dead. The most recent wave of rain started overnight Saturday, when Southern California saw its deadliest storm since 1995, with downed power lines, car-sized sinkholes and flooded highways. In Los Angeles, the airport closed for the first time in nearly two decades.

The rain rose suddenly Tuesday in San Jose, home to 1 million people, sending streams of water into homes and vehicles. Rescue workers sought to save residents as they waded through chest-deep water. The nearby Anderson Reservoir was so full, water was spilling into the adjacent creek. Local roads were shut down and at least 300 homes were flooded. One person had to be rescued by a helicopter.

“We did anticipate this,” said San Jose Fire Captain Matt Low. “However, there was no way to totally prepare for this.”

City officials urged residents to leave their homes before the flooding got worse. Almost 200 homes were evacuated, said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. He complained that City Hall should have done a better job of warning residents about the rain, Reuters reported.

"As I sit here today and I look out at a neighborhood that's completely inundated with water ... there’s no question in my mind there was a failure of some kind," he said.

San Jose resident Rosie Ruiz said her neighborhood was underwater. “I left for school, take my daughter to school and then I come back and see all of this -- so it happened real fast,” Ruiz told CBS News.

Alti Sharma said his parked car was submerged by the floods. “Our car is here and we didn’t know this was happening,” Sharma said.