CNN
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Swaths of California still saturated by ruthless storms will get walloped by another atmospheric river, spawning fears of renewed flooding and forcing some residents to flee.
The state has already been hammered by at least 11 atmospheric rivers this season. An atmospheric river is like a fire hose that carries saturated air from the tropics to higher latitudes, dumping relentless rain or snow.
The last, which struck California last week, left soil overly saturated and vulnerable to new flooding and rapid runoffs, the National Weather Service said.
The next atmospheric river is expected to slam California from late Monday night through Wednesday.
“The system will bring heavy rain and a flood threat, heavy snow with dangerous travel and high winds gusting over hurricane force” in some places, CNN Meteorologist Dave Hennen said.
Peak wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph are forecast for the mountains and deserts of Southern California, where power outages will likely develop, Hennen said.
The imminent storm system is expected to dump 1 to 3 inches of rain across the lower elevations and 2 to 4 inches across the foothills of Southern California through Thursday. Nearby Arizona could get up to 3 inches of rainfall.
Thousands of residents were under evacuation orders Sunday in two small central California towns, Alpaugh and Allensworth. Officials worried roads could become impassable and isolate residents, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office said.
First responders from dozens of agencies, including the California National Guard, were out Sunday afternoon helping residents evacuate – a sight that has become familiar in the flood-ravaged state.
“The devastation is indescribable,” Tulare County farmer Brandon Mendonsa told CNN affiliate KFSN. “The water is still coming – this is far from being done.”
Wind gusts could reach up to 80 mph – strong enough to down trees and power lines from the central California coast to Southern California, the National Weather Service said.
High wind watches were issued for Southern California – including Los Angeles – for Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the Sierra Nevada and Southern California mountain ranges, snowfall could add up to several feet for some of the highest terrain, likely making travel hazardous.
In the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, an additional 1 to 4 feet of snowfall is possible late Monday through Wednesday afternoon. The San Bernardino Mountains are also under a winter storm watch, with snowfall expected to reach up to 4 feet through Wednesday with gusts up to 85 mph.
While the atmospheric rivers have upended life for many Californians – damaging homes and livelihoods – the ensuing rainfall has also helped put a dent in the state’s historic drought.
Last week’s atmospheric river alone shattered daily rainfall records in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.
There’s been so much rain that the Southern California water board called off emergency drought conservation measures for more than 7 million people.
Severe drought in California was cut in half from the previous week, now covering only 8% of the state, down from 80.6% just three months ago, according to the US Drought Monitor. Just over a third of the state remains in some level of drought.
The abnormally wet winter – combined with recent storms – wiped out exceptional and extreme drought in California for the first time since 2020, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Moderate to exceptional drought coverage across the U.S. is at its lowest since August 2020 and is likely to continue improving, or end entirely, across much of California and the Great Basin,” NOAA forecasters said.
As the snowpack melts in the coming months, it’s expected to further improve drought conditions across much of the western US, according to NOAA. But, that could also mean more floods.
“Approximately 44% of the U.S. is at risk for flooding this spring,” said Ed Clark, director of NOAA’s National Water Center. “California’s historic snowpack, coupled with spring rain, is heightening the potential for spring floods.”
