A series of powerful storms hit California - at least 6 dead

Heavy rains, strong winds, power outages and evacuations are the result of storms that swept across California. The last one caused at least two deaths. The edition told in more detail USA Today.

Photo: IStock

One of the storms began to weaken on the morning of January 5 in the San Francisco Bay Area, although it was still raining. Precipitation fell on most of the state.

But on the evening of January 6, another storm will come. A series of storms is poised to ravage California until next week.

Up to 10 inches (25,4 cm) of rain fell in especially rain-prone areas. And in places like the Big Sur coast and the Santa Cruz Mountains, they were at 5-6 inches (12,7-15,2 cm), said Briden Murdoch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The storm caused significant damage in Santa Cruz County, south of San Francisco. According to his services, the piers of popular beach towns, in particular Capitol and Seacliff, were seriously damaged.

San Francisco recorded its wettest ten-day period since 1871, with 26 inches (4 cm) of rain from December 10,33 to January 26,1, the National Weather Service said.

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This rain is fraught with huge amounts of rainfall in America's most populous state, which usually has a dry, mostly Mediterranean climate. A flood on drought-scorched land can cause an increased risk of landslides, while winds can knock down weakened trees and flood runoff.

On Thursday, January 5, flood warnings were in effect for six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"Some locations far downstream have flood waters today," said Briden Murdoch, a specialist with the National Weather Service's San Francisco Bay office.

Storms will drag on for another week

The weather service warned that the pattern of such atmospheric events along the west coast is likely to persist for weeks.

“According to forecasts, this pattern will continue during the first week (January 6-12), perhaps even during the second week (January 13-19), as several more serious atmospheric river events are expected,” the meteorological service said.

Scary video of Bomb Cyclone hammering Santa Cruz, CA today ?⛈

Follow @YayAreaNews For Bay Area/Northern California Storm Updates In Real Time?#BayArea #SanFrancisco #AtmosphericRiver #CAwx pic.twitter.com/btBN3Qj1ND

— BAY AREA STATE OF MIND (@YayAreaNews) January 6, 2023

Due to continued dangerous winds, snow and rain, flood risks are likely to worsen in parts of the West Coast, especially parts of California. There is a moderate risk of heavy rain in California, parts of southern Nevada and Arizona.

Strong winds are possible over coastal areas of California and Oregon, according to the weather service.

There will be another storm in California

Storms have passed over the Pacific Ocean and will begin to hit coastal California on Friday, January 6, in the evening. While each will be less intense than the previous ones, they will bring water into already saturated soil and filled waterways.

“It’s just a conveyor belt of storms,” Murdock said. “Most of next week will be filled with flooding.”

"Rain rates of more than 1 inch (2,5 cm) per hour are fraught with rapid water rise and landslides," Weather Prediction Center forecaster Paul Siegenfelder said.

A "bomb cyclone" is a storm intensified by a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure. It engulfed large swathes of the state on Wednesday and Thursday (January 4-5) bringing much needed rain to San Diego.

The main problems were caused by strong winds accompanying the storm, which knocked down trees and power lines. By the evening of January 5, more than 73 homes and businesses were without power, compared to 000 on January 4, according to PowerOutage.us.

Wind gusts in excess of 100 miles (169 km) per hour were reported at Alpine Meadows in Placer County; gusts up to 85 miles (136 km) per hour forced the cancellation of many flights at San Francisco International Airport.

Fallen trees have delayed trains across the region, according to Caltrain.

A woman died in a car accident on a flooded road, according to Fairfield police. And in Occidental, Sonoma County, Fire Chief Ronald Lunardi reported a child was killed when a tree fell on a house.

The storms intensified days after a New Year's Eve rainstorm forced evacuations in rural Northern California. Several dams south of Sacramento have been damaged, and on January 4, authorities in the city's southern district discovered the body of one of at least four flood victims from the storm in a submerged car. That is, the number of victims of all storms that hit California reached 6.

Capitola under water! #santacruz #Capitola #Californiastorm #flooding pic.twitter.com/FnUczFaMkL

— EqualityCrusader (@EqualityCrusad1) January 6, 2023

Airport disruptions due to severe storm

The storm caused flight disruptions at three major bayside airports in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.

American Airlines has issued a warning to those flying to and from Fresno, Monterey/Carmel, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Rosa between Wednesday and Sunday. Travelers can rebook their flight before Sunday free of charge to a new travel date within a year of their original flight date in the same fare class.

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Southwest Airlines offered to rebook flights to and from Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose. Rebookings must include the same cities and travel dates within 14 days of the original travel date.

Delta Air Lines has issued rebookings for flights scheduled for January 5-6 to or from San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, San Jose and Fresno. The fare difference will be waived if the rebooked trip takes place on or before 8 January.

What is an atmospheric river

The storm, the second of several headed for the California coast, is approaching from the Pacific Ocean. This is the so-called atmospheric river, or "pineapple express", originating near Hawaii.

These storms bring heavy rainfall and occur when warm, moist air flows from the islands across the Pacific Ocean to the west coast.

this storm is strong as fuck #Californiastorm #storm pic.twitter.com/uBNID4gfx8

— O-Zone The Don (@Ozone8200) January 5, 2023

When the water vapor reaches the cooler air over the western landmass, it falls as heavy rain. Atmospheric rivers are long, flowing sections of the atmosphere that carry water vapor across the sky from 250 to 375 miles (402-603 km) wide. They sometimes exceed 1000 miles (1 km) in length and are capable of carrying more water than the Mississippi River.

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