Atmospheric river floods California, with more storms on the way
A powerful storm known as an atmospheric river tore through California on Thursday, drenching the state with rain and leaving a trail of damage that has become familiar to residents in recent years: downed trees, flooded roads and smothered travel.
Although the storm was not expected to cause the kind of chaos sown by a succession of atmospheric rivers last winter, meteorologists warned residents to stay alert and be prepared for an even bigger storm this weekend.
“Not to sound alarmist, but it's good to prepare to hang out at home for a while,” says Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Los Angeles area.
The current storm hit Northern California first, flooding roads and closing streets and schools in rural communities on Wednesday. At least one person had to be rescued from a car that was taking on water in Sonoma County, and forecasters warned of large, dangerous waves on the coast.
The storm was powerful enough to bring San Francisco's cumulative rainfall above normal for the first time this season. according to a local meteorologistJan Zero.
Southern California residents woke up Thursday to harsh gray skies, gusty winds and downpours. Flash flood warnings have been posted for part of Los Angeles County, near beaches, harbors and on slopes.
Ms. Schoenfeld of the National Weather Service said residents of Palos Verdes Estates should be especially vigilant. That's the area where houses on coastal cliffs began sliding into a gorge last July, in a landslide caused by soil saturation from last winter's storms.
In Langstrand, flooding forced the closure of a major highwaybringing traffic in the area – which can cause headaches even in sunny weather – to a near standstill.
Flooding also closed Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. And firefighters in Orange County said they rescued someone from a swollen storm drain.
“As you can see, the heavy rain will quickly fill the canals, with the water moving at a dangerous speed,” the Orange County Fire Authority posted on social media, along with a video of water flowing into a storm drain. “Please stay away from water,” the post read.
The storm system that dropped rain in Southern California on Thursday also brought much-needed snow to the Sierra Nevada. The rain was expected to continue all day Thursday, but forecasters predicted Friday and Saturday to be clearer.
So far this week, Californians have not seen the kind of weather-related disasters that struck last winter, with flooding in Ventura County in December and in San Diego in January.
The next storm, which is expected to arrive late Saturday and last until Sunday, is likely to be more intense. But contrary to online rumors, there is no indication that the storm will be anything like the widely feared (but less widely understood) 'ARkStorm', an extremely rare and powerful storm. atmospheric event modeled by scientists at the United States Geological Survey that could engulf major cities on the West Coast.
Instead, Ms. Schoenfeld said, Californians should expect a storm more similar to last winter's storm, which broke a number of daily precipitation records and was the state's first significant rainfall after several bone-dry years.