A “brutal” storm that can unleash torrential rain and potentially deadly flooding will hit California mid-week, weather forecasters warned Tuesday.
This powerful low-pressure area is expected to inundate the Pacific coast of the United States on Wednesday and Thursday, and authorities are urging residents to prepare.
“This is truly a brutal system and should be taken seriously,” the US National Weather Service (NWS) warned.
According to the NWS, the storm will cause “widespread flooding, inundated roads, landslides, downed trees, widespread power outages, immediate disruption to trade and, worst of all, likely loss of life.” »
The west coast, which has been severely affected by drought for years, has been hit by a series of storms for several weeks, which have caused record-breaking rainfall in some places.
Some areas of Northern California are still suffering the effects of a violent storm that swept through New Year’s Eve, causing landslides and power outages. At least one person has died after being trapped in their car by flooding, authorities said.
On December 31, San Francisco recorded the second rainiest day in its history since the measure was introduced, with 5.5 inches of rain.
On Tuesday, a fine rain had already reached California. Rainfall is expected to increase significantly Wednesday and Thursday, with nearly 5 inches of rain expected in the state capital, Sacramento.
The NWS warned on Twitter of “the risk of widespread flooding and wind-related damage” in San Francisco Bay and California’s central coast.
The agency advises residents of threatened regions to have an “emergency bag” on hand for quick evacuation if necessary, and warns of possible landslides or landslides.
The expected rain comes from an “atmospheric flow,” a narrow band in the atmosphere that carries vast amounts of moisture from the tropics.
These rivers in the sky, which concentrate amounts of water vapor equivalent to the liquid carried by certain major land rivers, are far from exceptional in California winters.
But the current phenomenon is accompanied by a “vacuum bomb,” a system capable of suddenly and very rapidly dropping pressure, creating very violent winds.
While these torrential rains are welcome given the drought that has plagued the American West for two decades, they are insufficient and, according to weather forecasters, can prove problematic: Dry soils have trouble absorbing a torrent of water, and this causes flash flooding.