On Monday, vast regions of California, were severely affected by flooding. This was the result of a perilous storm that swept across the state, dumping substantial amounts of rain. The storm’s impact was so significant that it led to the declaration of a state of emergency.
The storm not only brought with it torrential rains but also caused widespread power outages. Hundreds of thousands of residents found themselves without electricity, adding to the challenges of dealing with the storm’s aftermath. The situation was further complicated by the extensive flooding, which made many areas inaccessible and posed risks to life and property.
Dangerous flooding to hit as storm batters California https://t.co/gNwTPhIPqy
— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) February 5, 2024
The severity of the storm and its wide-ranging effects necessitated the declaration of a state of emergency. This move is typically reserved for situations of extreme urgency and allows for the mobilization of additional resources and support to aid in recovery efforts.
Affected areas include Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Santa Barbara.
PowerOutage.us, reported that close to 700,000 customers were experiencing power outages. This significant disruption to the power supply was a direct result of the storm’s impact.
In addition to the power outages, the storm also affected air travel. According to data from flightaware.com, numerous flights to and from Los Angeles airport were either delayed or cancelled. This disruption to the flight schedules further illustrates the wide-ranging effects of the storm.
Earlier, the National Weather Service had sounded an alarm about a potent storm system originating from the Pacific. They warned that this system would have significant impacts on California, including dangerous flooding due to heavy rainfall, substantial snowfall, powerful winds, coastal flooding, and high surf conditions. This alert underscored the potential severity of the storm and its wide-ranging effects.
“Heavy rainfall will bring the threat for life-threatening flash, urban, and river flooding as well as debris flows and mudslides,” said NWS.
A storm, carrying wind gusts of 60 miles per hour or more, is a component of the “Pineapple Express”. This is a weather event that originates near Hawaii, where it absorbs the tropical moisture that fuels it.
The NWS described it as “the largest storm of the season”.
Last year, the US West Coast experienced a challenging winter as numerous atmospheric rivers unleashed billions of gallons of precipitation in the form of rain and snow.
This resulted in extensive flooding and disturbances in travel, along with issues concerning the power grid.
However, it also served to refill the critically low reservoirs, which had reached unprecedented low levels following years of severe drought.
Although California typically experiences wet conditions during winter, researchers indicate that weather patterns across the globe are being modified due to climate change caused by human activities.
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