On Monday, swaths of the US state of California were flooded, and hundreds of thousands of people were left without power after a dangerous storm brought heavy rains and prompted an emergency declaration.
“This is a serious storm with dangerous and potentially life-threatening impacts”, said Governor Gavin Newsom, who proclaimed a state of emergency for eight counties in Southern California.
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Santa Barbara counties have all been affected.
According to the electricity supply tracker, about 700,000 houses were without power early Monday morning.
Several flights in and out of Los Angeles Airport have been delayed or canceled.
Earlier, the National Weather Service issued a warning that a strong Pacific storm system would bring impactful and dangerous flooding rains, heavy snow, strong winds, coastal flooding, and high surf to California.
It went on to say, “Heavy rainfall will bring the threat for life-threatening flash, urban, and river flooding, as well as debris, flows, and mudslides”.
The storm, which has gusts of 60 miles per hour or greater, is part of a ‘Pineapple Express’, a weather phenomenon that forms in Hawaii near where the tropical moisture is arriving.
It was called the largest storm of the season by the National Weather Service.
Last year, the US West Coast saw a terrible winter as a succession of atmospheric rivers dropped billions of gallons of rain and snow.
This resulted in significant flooding, travel disruptions, and power outages.
However, it also replenished dangerously depleted reservoirs, which had dropped to record lows following years of harsh drought.
While wet weather is common throughout California’s winters, scientists believe human-caused climate change is altering the planet’s weather patterns.
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