January 10, 2023
California’s fierce storm brings flooding to millions of people
A total of 14 people were killed in California after a severe storm brought torrential downpours and high winds, flooding the state.
Many thousands of people have fled their homes and millions more are still under severe weather warnings.
According to Poweroutage.us data, nearly 230,000 homes were power and almost 230,000 businesses were without power.
On Tuesday, heavy rains are expected to continue across most of the state. Some areas may be at risk from dangerous mudslides.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), it was “the most powerful storm since January 2005”.
On Wednesday, the weather will bring up to 7in (18cm), of rain to some areas. This could lead to flooding, mudslides, or landslides. Officials from the NWS warned that heavy rain could be especially severe in areas where it was not possible to get water.
Officials said that an “immersive cyclone” was developing near the coast.
A Five-year-old Paso Robles girl was swept away Monday by floodwaters.
According to reports, the boy and his mother were riding in a truck to take him to school when their vehicle was flooded. The incident triggered a seven-hour-long search, which was stopped when divers found the conditions too hazardous. Local officials confirmed that he has not been declared deceased, but they did not give details about when the search would resume.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, around 90% of Californians are under flood watch. This is a total of 34 million people in California’s most populous state.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown stated to the Los Angeles Times that “this is not a day for you to go out doing anything that you don’t need to.”
Montecito Fire Department issued a Monday afternoon order to residents of the town and surrounding canyons, “Leave now!”
Residents who were unable to flee were instructed to go to their innermost rooms or to higher ground.
According to the NWS, up to 14in (35.5cm), of rain fell in the region in the past 24 hours.
The NWS reported Tuesday that average rainfall amounts in the state have been between 400% to 600% higher than average.
Montecito was an elite coastal enclave where people were forced to leave their homes.
Montecito is home to many Hollywood stars like actor Rob Lowe and comedian Ellen DeGeneres. On Monday, DeGeneres posted a video taken from the banks of a flooded stream.
“This is insane!” DeGeneres said. “The creek right next to our house never runs, ever. It is probably nine feet high and will go two more feet.
This evacuation is being done on the fifth anniversary of a mudslide that occurred in Montecito, which killed 23 people and caused more than 100 deaths.
The new severe weather round will bring heavy rain to already flooded rivers and damaging winds that can topple trees and powerlines. There will also be heavy snow in the California Mountains.
The NWS predicts that the worst and most extensive rains will fall on Tuesday morning and into Wednesday afternoon. The agency issued a flood alert in Los Angeles County, Orange County, and the San Bernardino County Mountains.
Officials also ordered evacuations in other areas, including those downstream from reservoirs that could flood.
On Monday, President Joe Biden declared an emergency in California. This allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide disaster relief.
What are bomb cyclones and atmospheric rivers?
California has seen two weather phenomena in the past week. An atmospheric river is an atmosphere where a stream of dense water flows in from the ocean. A bomb cyclone is a storm that causes a rapid drop and creates an explosive effect.
Floods and extreme rainfall can be caused by atmospheric rivers. Bomb cyclones are caused by a combination of high and low temperatures as well as rising and falling air pressure and moisture. This can often lead to severe storms and strong winds.
Many areas affected by heavy rainfall have been in extreme drought conditions. California set a limit on how much water residents could use last year to preserve its diminishing supply.
According to the US Drought Monitor, despite the rain, a large portion of the state is still under severe to moderate drought warnings.
Experts believe it will take many years for the drought to end in the west, which has been ravaging the country for two decades.