A new storm hit California on Friday, raising the risk of flooding and issuing evacuation orders in several areas that have been hit by particularly wet winters in recent weeks.
Up to 230 mm of precipitation is expected in some areas. The rain, caused by a mild storm, could melt some of the extraordinary snowpack accumulated over the past three months. This is enough to cause an uncontained runoff through state waterways.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warns that water from this winter’s storms will bring rain to “saturated soils” and create “thick snow cover and massive flooding.”
Higher elevations should “make driving difficult” with snowfall in the mountains of Northern California.
US President Joe Biden on Friday approved a state of emergency in California to facilitate federal aid.
“California is deploying all the tools at our disposal to protect our communities from the unrelenting, deadly storm that hits the state,” said Governor Gavin Newsom, who called for this emergency assistance.
Many evacuation orders were issued at the time, and seven rivers could experience major flooding, especially in the north of the state.
California, the nation’s most populous state, suffers from particularly wet winters. Notably, in January, a series of consecutive storms caused multiple floods, landslides and fallen trees, killing 20 people.
Source: Diario.Elmundo
