As of this past Wednesday, a declaration of a state of emergency has been officially announced by California governor Gavin Newsom as yet another severe weather system is slated to wash over the state.
Throughout last week, severe weather patterns repeatedly slammed California when an “atmospheric river” pushed heavy rains and high winds over the northern section of the state. Another large storm battered many other sections of the state just days later, bringing flooding described as dangerous and even deadly. These storms are expected to continue to rage for some time.
“California is mobilizing to keep people safe from the impacts of the incoming storm,” exclaimed Newsom in a release. “This state of emergency will allow the state to respond quickly as the storm develops and support local officials in their ongoing response.”
As reported by maps from the National Weather Service, the majority of both central and northern California are experiencing severe weather alerts. The northern coastal region of the state, stretching all the way from Monterey County all the way up to reach Shasta County next to the border with Oregon, is experiencing extreme high wind warnings. The more northeastern section of the state, especially areas near the Sierra Nevada mountain range, has been marked with a winter storm warning. To go along with all of this, a number of areas throughout northern California are still under flash flood warnings.
In the more southern areas of the state, the storm is expected to cause high waves and extreme coastal flooding. The coastal regions along Los Angeles County are currently experiencing a high surf advisory, while the coast side Orange County is being issued a coastal flood warning, Coastal San Diego County is under a high surf warning, reported the NWS station centered in San Diego.
State officials have issued a warning that this storm could wind up just doubling down on the damage already caused by the previous storm. It was reported by The New York Times that the ground is currently still saturated with moisture, a fact that only increases the chances of rapid runoff, flooding, and mudslides. The extreme winds would also be quite likely to destroy power lines and trees, causing extreme power outages, explained the NWS to The Washington Post.
The most recent storm seems to be a child of a “bomb cyclone,” which is a period of extreme intensification caused by a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure, followed by an influx of powerful winds caused by the vacuum that was created.
