California hit by damaging succession of storms, faces ‘disastrous’ floods. 10 points
2 min read 15 Jan 2023, 03:57 PM ISTCalifornia received more wind, rain and snow on Saturday. According to National Weather Service more storms expected to follow into early next week.
PremiumUnited States President Joe Biden on Sunday declared a major disaster in California as a succession of storm systems blew into the state bringing heavy flooding to already waterlogged regions and threatening snowfalls of up to six feet (two meters), reported AFP.
California received more wind, rain and snow on Saturday. According to National Weather Service more storms expected to follow into early next week.
Bands of rain with gusty winds started in the north and spread south, halting life for at least 68,000 utility customers were without electricity since Saturday morning.
Relentless storms over the last 11 days have left no part of the state untouched, flooding towns from north to south and loading inland mountains with snow.
The projected number of tropical cyclones could increase by 34 per cent during inactive North Atlantic hurricane seasons. Inactive seasons generally occur during El Nino conditions with warmer surface temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and the negative phase of the Atlantic Meridional Mode with cooler surface temperatures in the northern tropical Atlantic Ocean.
Everything to know about the California Winter storms
-At least 19 people are known to have died from storm-related causes in the last three weeks. A 5-year-old boy remained missing after being swept out of his mother's car by flood waters in San Luis Obispo County.
-Flood warnings were issued for the region north of San Francisco Bay, including Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties
-National Weather Service predicted "disastrous flooding" across the lower Salinas River valley, a key agricultural region south of San Francisco Bay.
-Slick roads, snow and whiteout conditions plagued highways through the Sierra Nevada.
-Biden's declaration makes federal funding available for relief to affected people, including temporary housing and repairs
-Biden ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides, the White House said in a statement.
-A series of atmospheric rivers has dumped rain and snow on California since late December, cutting power to thousands, swamping roads, unleashing debris flows, and triggering landslides
-Thousands of California residents have been told to leave their homes as heavy rains caused flooding in various parts of the state, The New York Times reported
-The California storms have mitigated but not solved the region's drought
-But Governor Gavin Newsom warned Californians that they were not in the clear yet: "We're not done," he said Saturday after visiting impacted residents.
