Up to 37 million people in California were at risk of life-threatening flooding overnight and into Sunday. forecasters warnedAs an “atmospheric river,” it has the potential to bring down trees and power lines across the state, bringing heavy rain, snow and strong winds.
The National Weather Service Bay Area has warned of “widespread” tree and power line damage in Monterey County. impassable roads and power outageswind gusts are expected to reach 75 mph.
In San Jose, a community of “homeless” people living along the Guadalupe River have been ordered to evacuate to local community centers as torrential rains in the Santa Cruz Mountains are expected to cause life and property danger. The city of San Jose said public urgent updates.
The storm is the second time this week that the state will be under pressure from an “atmospheric river” — plumes of moisture that travel hundreds of miles across the Pacific Ocean. Atmospheric rivers caused Showers in the Bay Area on Wednesday, suspended cable car services before moving on to Los Angeles and San Diego on Thursday.
Santa Barbara County officials issued evacuation orders Saturday, urging residents to be on “very high alert.”
Sheriff’s deputies and search and rescue teams issued door-to-door evacuation notices to evacuate residents as beaches in the county were closed indefinitely.
California State Parks spokeswoman Gloria Sandoval warned the public to “stay out of the ocean and respect temporary closures during storms,” such as surf spots like the iconic Old Man at San Onofre Surf Beach. closed for entry After the storms of January. Heavy rain and extreme weather conditions have eroded the road at San Onofre’s lower parking lot, with footage on social media showing parts of the area collapsing onto the beach below.
Forecasters said dangerous flooding is possible across the state through Tuesday, with 6 inches of rain expected from the lower reaches of the Central Coast to coastal Los Angeles County and 12 inches or more.
If they hit the upper end of those estimates, they can breaking rainfall records According to NBC News forecasters, for historical and even monthly rainfall records.
Flood watches issued when conditions are favorable for flooding will cover the coasts of Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties and the entire coast of Southern California. Some classes start on Saturday afternoon and run through at least the end of the weekend.
Sunday’s update from the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center predicted a risk of more rain than flash flood guidance for San Diego and Orange County in “high risk” areas of the state — estimated at a 70% chance.
According to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office on Saturday, 8,300 state workers are on standby to respond to emergencies and damage related to the storm. More than two dozen teams of swift water and urban search and rescue personnel were on the move up and down the state.
The storm comes as the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office announced it was investigating three deaths in late January in connection with California’s latest bout with severe storms.
Jan. 22 was San Diego’s wettest January on record, with rare and devastating flooding in urban neighborhoods far from the coastline, unusual for the dry southwest corner of the state.
Atmospheric rivers cause more than $1.1 billion in annual flood damage on average, according to a 2022 study in Scientific Reports.
Climate change increases the strength of storms because a warmer atmosphere is able to absorb more water vapor, allowing storms to deliver more extreme precipitation. beyond the shores, sea level rise contributing to larger waves, increased erosion rates, and California’s rising tides due to global warming.