A particularly violent storm, capable of causing torrential rains and floods, will hit California this week, American meteorologists warned on Tuesday. The phenomenon is expected to hit the Pacific coast on Wednesday and Thursday.
The low pressure system that will descend will be particularly “brutal”, according to the American weather service (NWS). It could lead to “great floods, submerged roads, landslides, falling trees, large power cuts, immediate disruption of trade and worse, probable loss of life”.
Prepare an emergency bag in case of evacuation
The rain comes from an “atmospheric river”, a narrow band carrying huge amounts of moisture. These rivers of the sky, which concentrate enormous volumes of water vapour, are common in winter in California. But this phenomenon is accompanied by a “low pressure bomb”, capable of bringing down the pressure suddenly and very quickly and of managing very violent winds.
This Tuesday, a fine rain had already reached California. Precipitation will intensify on Wednesday and Thursday, after nearly 13 cm expected in Sacramento, the state capital. The NWS warned on Twitter of “the risk of widespread flooding and wind-related damage”. He advises residents to prepare an “emergency bag” to be able to evacuate quickly if necessary.
Floods partly due to drought
These torrential rains are welcome given the drought that has affected the West Coast for twenty years, but they can prove problematic: the dry soils have difficulty absorbing a deluge of water and this causes flash floods. The west coast has also been hit for several weeks by a series of storms, which have caused record rainfall.
Northern California is still suffering from the powerful storm that swept through in late December, causing landslides and power outages. At least one person died. On December 31, San Francisco recorded the second wettest day in its history with 14 cm of precipitation.