The worst is yet to come as an atmospheric river batters California

The worst is yet to come as an atmospheric river batters California ,US

Reuters, Carlsbad, California much of California was battered by hurricane-force winds and heavy rain on Sunday, cutting off power to 900,000 people and raising the possibility of catastrophic flooding. Forecasters anticipate that the storm will stall over major cities for the next day or two. The storm arrived just as Los Angeles welcomed celebrities for the music industry’s Grammy awards, where the red carpet was tented but other attendees were forced to slog through heavy rain in glitzy cocktail attire, some of them with only a handbag for an umbrella. This is the second Pineapple Express weather system, or atmospheric river storm, to hit the state in the last week.

The port city of Long Beach, which is close to Los Angeles, may receive more rain this week than it does in a year, according to Mayor Rex Richardson. From Sunday through Tuesday, 5-7 inches (13–18 cm) of rain are predicted. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, California’s southern and central coasts should expect an inch of rain per hour and 3-6 inches (7-15 cm) of total precipitation. In the mountains at lower elevations and foothills, up to 6 to 12 inches may be anticipated. Meteorologists predicted “near continuous rainfall” for 48 hours on Sunday and Monday, putting the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara regions at high risk of heavy precipitation.

Some residents of those counties, as well as those in the San Jose area, Ventura County, and two areas of Los Angeles County that had previously experienced wildfires, were placed under evacuation orders, increasing the risk of mudslides due to the deforested terrain. (Reporting from Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles, Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California, and Maria Caspani and Scott DiSavino in New York; editing from Lisa Shumaker, Chizu Nomiyama, Nick Zieminski, and Raju Gopalakrishnan).

These 2 factors are enhancing this storm’s rainfall in California 

Scientists are pointing to two factors—the climate crisis and El Niño—that are intensifying this week’s rainfall and destructive power as California prepares for potentially catastrophic rainfall on Monday. An atmospheric river can carry over 20 times the amount of water as the Mississippi River, but it does so as vapor, much like a conveyor belt of moisture. As temperatures rise due to climate change, atmospheric river events are predicted to release an additional 10 to 40 percent of rainfall. Not only did record-warm temperatures prevail in the West prior to the event, but ocean temperatures worldwide are also at record highs. Increased energy and moisture are released into these storms by warmer ocean temperatures. In addition to the general trend of global warming, there is a strong El Niño in the Pacific, which has been shown to intensify atmospheric river events on the West Coast.

Since last winter, California, which only recently recovered from a historic megadrought that led to water restrictions, has experienced an abundance of snowstorms and heavy rain. Extreme drought and high precipitation swings, sometimes referred to as “weather whiplash,” are another phenomenon that experts predict will happen more frequently as the planet warms in the ensuing decades.

There is an uncommonly high risk of excessive rainfall for millions of people. This is the significance of that.

On February 4, during a storm in Santa Barbara, California, a man is seen walking through floodwater.  On February 4, during a storm in Santa Barbara, California, a man is seen walking through floodwater. Bloomberg/Getty Images/Eric Thayer .More than 14 million people are at high risk of excessive rainfall as the atmospheric river spreads across Los Angeles. In the United States, high-risk days typically comprise only 4% of all days; however, they are responsible for 80% of all flood damage. In statistical terms, there is roughly a one-in-a-thousand chance that two consecutive days will be high risk.

After over a month of rain, Los Angeles experienced its wettest day in almost 20 years

February is usually the wettest month in Downtown Los Angeles, with an average of 3.64 inches of rain falling. It was the city’s wettest day since December 28, 2004, almost 20 years ago, when 5.55 inches of rain fell. Sunday’s downpour broke the date’s rainfall record and ranked among the ten wettest days ever experienced in downtown. When the historic rainfall from Sunday is combined with last week’s atmospheric river, downtown Los Angeles has received 5.64 inches of rain from the two storms. As of right now, the city has received roughly 40% of its annual precipitation, and it is still raining. Record rainfall was also recorded on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, the city’s other reporting site. The airport saw 1.76 inches of rain, more than three times the previous record of 0.56 inches from 1958.

A fallen redwood tree in Northern California killed a man while gusts of strong wind were produced by an atmospheric river

A massive redwood tree that fell on Sunday during strong wind gusts in the area killed a man in northern California. The Yuba City Police Department released a statement saying, “After conducting an investigation, it seemed he was possibly using a ladder to try and clear the tree away from his residence when it fell on him.” Although winds in Yuba City were gusting to almost 50 miles per hour at around 5 p.m. local time, when police say neighbors heard the tree fall, authorities have not linked the incident to the weather. Nearly 12,000 customers in Sutter County are without power as a result of fallen power lines, according to Pacific Gas & Electric.

Conclusion :

Extreme rainfall and strong winds were brought to Southern California on Sunday by a powerful atmospheric river, and on Monday the weather is predicted to persist. Authorities are warning people not to travel, and because of the possibility of landslides, some people have had to leave their homes.

unusually high risk of flooding: The high risk of flooding is predicted to worsen throughout Monday as a deluge of rain is predicted to stall over Southern California, including Los Angeles.

extended periods of low power: The tracking website PowerOutage.us reports that approximately 700,000 customers in California, mostly along the coast, are without power as a result of strong winds and rain.

Rare high risk of excessive rainfall: On Monday, the Weather Prediction Center issued a Level 4 of 4 rare high risk of rain for over 14 million people in Southern California. This covers Long Beach, Anaheim, and downtown Los Angeles.

Landslides: The Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding foothills, as well as the cities of Malibu and Beverly Hills in Los Angeles County, were all under warning from the weather service for “numerous damaging landslides.”

Orders to evacuate: Over the weekend, authorities issued orders to evacuate some residents of Santa Barbara, San José, Los Angeles, and Ventura County due to the possibility of “life-threatening” floods and landslides. CNN affiliate KABC reported that officials were seen in Sun Valley, California, going door-to-door on Sunday and issuing evacuation warnings.

Snow in the mountains: According to the weather service, significant amounts of snowfall are predicted for eastern California and the area bordering Nevada. Through Monday, the heavy, wet snow will spread across the Sierra Nevada at a rate of two to three inches per hour. According to the weather service, travel above 5,000 to 6,000 feet will be “nearly impossible” due to dangerous wind gusts that could cause whiteout conditions.

Due to the extreme weather, several Santa Barbara County school districts canceled classes on Monday. California State University Fullerton, among other districts, opted to use remote learning.