Ferocious winds and soaking rain from the Pacific is sweeping toward California, ushering in another day of floods, mudslides and potential blackouts across the state.
(Bloomberg) — Ferocious winds and soaking rain from the Pacific is sweeping toward California, ushering in another day of floods, mudslides and potential blackouts across the state.
Heavy rain will start falling across Northern California Wednesday and strong winds will begin raking the region by midday, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sacramento. The Sierra Nevada mountains could see as much as 3 feet (0.9 meters) of snow through Thursday.
“It is a pretty strong system for most of Northern California,” Chandler-Cooley said.
California is set for more destructive weather in the coming days after enduring a battering last week when a similar system — dubbed an atmospheric river — came ashore, causing widespread flooding and killing at least one person. While destructive in some areas of the state, the deluge helped California pull itself out of a years-long drought.
The latest storm will spread southward across the state, adding to heavy rain across Los Angeles. As much as 4 inches of rain could fall, with up to double that amount in some isolated mountainous areas, according to the weather service.
“Significant flash flooding and debris flows are possible, especially in and below recent burn scars,” the agency said.
The deluge is a “welcomed gift” to farmers who have faced billions of dollars in crop damages due to drought and unprecedented cuts to water access, said Ian LeMay, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association.
He’s wary about getting too enthusiastic after two of the state’s driest months on record last year followed huge snowfalls in late 2021. Officials on Tuesday said California’s mountain snowpack, which provides 30% of the state’s annual water, was off to a good start.
“We need every drop that Mother Nature will give us,” LeMay said in a Tuesday phone interview.
The current storm will be followed by another this weekend and a third on Monday and Tuesday, Chandler-Cooley said. They will be pretty similar in size and raise the flood threat because the saturated ground won’t be able to absorb the water.
“Expect flooding impacts to continue into next week with these storms,” she said.
–With assistance from Kim Chipman and David R. Baker.
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