2024-02-01 01:07:30
Powerful storm brewing for West Coast
AccuWeather California expert Ken Clark provides insight into the powerful storm expected to impact much of the West Coast this week.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The first of two atmospheric rivers, also known as a “Pineapple Express,” hit the West Coast on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain showers and mountain snow as residents braced for potentially dangerous conditions.
A “Pineapple Express” is an atmospheric river that builds up in the tropical Pacific and when it lands in the western United States, it can cause heavy rain and snow. Satellite images of the first storm on Wednesday showed clouds along the coast from Los Angeles, California, to Juneau, Alaska, according to AccuWeather.
“The first storm will continue to funnel copious amounts of moisture like a giant firehose southward through California into Thursday night,” AccuWeather said.
The “plume of moisture” will move along the West Coast and transition into Southern California overnight Wednesday, which is expected to create heavy rain across the region and state, according to the National Weather Service’s forecast.
Upper-elevation mountain snow is also predicted for parts of Northern and Central California, according to the weather service.
More than 20 million people across the state were under weather alerts Wednesday due to the heightened risk of flooding and high winds. According to AccuWeather, the pair of storms may cause mudslides, power issues, coastal erosion, and property damage.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services activated its operations center and positioned personnel and equipment in areas most at risk.
While California residents will see a partially dry weekend, a second storm is forecast to hit Sunday to Monday. According to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, the second storm has the potential to be much stronger.
‘Pineapple Express’: Atmospheric rivers aimed at California to bring flooding risk, up to 4 feet of snow
Storm lands in Bay Area
The atmospheric river-fueled storm landed Wednesday in Northern California, bringing brief hourly rain rates of 0.5 to 1 inches, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
The heavy rainfall may lead to instances of flash flooding through Wednesday night along the Northern and Central California coastline, the center said. The weather service in the Bay Area issued a flood advisory for parts of the area, including the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin and Sonoma until late Wednesday.
A high wind warning was also in effect for counties along the north and central coast. The weather service said peak wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph were observed.
Numerous parks and other outdoor events or programming were closed across the Bay Area on Wednesday due to the wet and windy conditions.
The California Highway Patrol warned drivers on X, formerly Twitter, to be “extra” cautious on the roadways.
“We’ve responded to our first vehicle accident on I-280 in the rain today,” Cal Fire and the CHP in Redwood City said Wednesday afternoon. “This was non-injury… Please slow down.”
In Sacramento, the weather service warned of a 10% to 25% probability of thunderstorms as the storm system travels inland. In addition to the moderate to heavy rain and gusty winds, the thunderstorms may also cause lightning and small hail.
Some power outages were reported by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) on Wednesday night. Over 2,200 were without power in Redwood City and nearly 2,500 were in the dark in Sacramento, according to PG&E’s outage map.
Up to 4 inches of rain forecast for parts of Northern, Southern California
Much of Northern California and the coastal areas of Southern California will receive 1 to 4 inches of rain, according to AccuWeather. Locally, higher amounts of up to 6 inches are likely along the “west- and southwest-facing Coast Ranges.”
Strong winds will also impact Northern and Central California into Thursday, AccuWeather said, which increases the risk of toppled trees.
“Given saturated soils downed trees and resulting power outages are likely,” warned the National Weather Service’s Bay Area on X.
In San Francisco and Sacramento, travel conditions will be at their worst starting Wednesday. Meanwhile, from Los Angeles to San Diego, residents can expect travel delays throughout Thursday.
Viral video spreading misinformation about storm debunked by emergency officials
California state emergency officials said a viral video is misleading California residents about the upcoming storm.
“This video has over half a million views and is misleading Californians about a storm of epic proportions they say is about to hit our state,” a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services told KABC-TV.
“While California does have a long history of flooding,” the OES spokesman said, “residents have nothing to fear as long as they take a few basic steps to be ready.”
What is an atmospheric river?
Atmospheric rivers pick up water vapor from the warm, moist air of tropical regions and then drop the water over land in cooler regions as rain or snow. Atmospheric rivers are part of the Earth’s ocean water cycle, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says, and are tied closely to both water supply and flood risks.
Made visible by clouds, these ribbons of water vapor extend thousands of miles from the tropics to the western U.S. At 250 to 375 miles wide, they provide the fuel for massive rain and snowstorms that can cause flooding along the West Coast.
These “rivers in the sky” are responsible for up to 65% of the western United State’s extreme rain and snow events, a 2017 study said. And on average, up to 50% of the annual precipitation on the West Coast occurs in just a few atmospheric river events.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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