Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/CALIFORNIA: The latest in a series of deadly storm systems blew into the US state of California on Saturday, bringing heavy flooding to already waterlogged regions and threatening snowfalls of up to six feet in areas suffering severe weather conditions for weeks.
The new storm system was expected to bring “heavy lower-elevation rain, significant mountain snow, and strong winds,” with “another surge of Pacific moisture” expected on Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
Around 25m in California under flood watch
Around 25 million people in California have been placed under a flood watch this weekend as the new weather system moves into the most populous US state.
At least 19 people have been killed so far and thousands told to evacuate their homes as atmospheric rivers rarely seen in such frequent succession have pounded the Golden State since December 26, causing floods, power outages, mudslides, evacuations and road closures.
Flood advisories were in place across the state on Saturday. The storms have resulted in half the average annual rainfall in the agricultural Central Valley and as much as 15 feet of snow in the mountains. Over 24,000 utility customers were without power as of yesterday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.
Winter storms are not unusual in California but they are becoming wetter and wilder, a phenomenon attributed to climate change.
