Portions of California have been placed under flood watches as a state-wide atmospheric river is predicted to bring severe rains.
Before the winter storm arrived in California on Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service issued flood warnings for several places in northern and central California.
The NWS’s Weather Prediction Center said that a storm expected to hit California on Thursday could cause floods in lower altitudes and foothills, particularly below 5000 feet, because of a mixture of heavy rainfall and melting snow.
It is anticipated that the “atmospheric river,” a thin band of moisture capable of bringing heavy snow and rainfall into the region from the tropics, will also affect sections of Oregon and Nevada.
Strong gusts and tornadoes are also anticipated from the storm, and flooding brought on by the rainfall may last into the upcoming week. According to the NWS, the Sierra Nevada mountains will be most at risk.
To get forward of the atmospheric river, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) expanded a previous declaration on Wednesday and announced a state of emergency in around thirty counties.
As California returns from a significant winter storm that dropped snow on the West Coast state the past month, rain is predicted.
“Stay safe because there will be more thunderstorms,” warned Newsom.
