A weather pattern known as an atmospheric river is forecasted to reach Southern California.
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The majority of California was facing hazardous amounts of rain and the potential for severe flooding on Monday, as a powerful storm fueled by an atmospheric river caused mudslides on hillsides. This storm has resulted in three deaths and approximately 500,000 people losing power.
Several counties in the southern region of California were declared to be in a state of emergency, impacting approximately 20 million individuals. In Los Angeles, citizens received alerts about potential flash floods and were advised to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary for evacuation. The situation was deemed to be hazardous and potentially life-threatening.
The emergency covered the area of Downtown LA, where stars had gathered for the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. According to the national weather service the area smashed its rainfall record, with 4.1 inches falling in a single day. The previous record was 2.55 inches recorded back in 1927.
On Monday, the national weather service cautioned that there would be further occurrences, as NWS Los Angeles continued to release flash flood warnings for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
The powerful storm in Northern California brought winds reaching 92 mph for the first time, causing the NWS to release an uncommon warning for hurricane-force winds along the Central Coast.
Some counties in California have had their evacuation orders canceled or reduced.
At noon on Monday, all directives to evacuate in Santa Barbara County were lifted. However, authorities cautioned that certain roads and paths in the county may still be impassable or off-limits due to the effects of the storm.
The general population was warned that the ground being saturated could result in ongoing occurrences of rock falls, small debris flows and landslides, and toppling trees, despite a decrease in rainfall.
In other parts of Ventura County, directives to evacuate were reduced to cautions. The ability to enter the region was still restricted because of the effects of the storm.
The Public Works Agency for Ventura County reported that efforts were underway to regain access and predicted that the repairs would take around one week to complete.
The Mayor of San Francisco states that the most severe part of the storm has already occurred.
hurricane
A recent research reveals that certain tropical storms now exceed the theoretical strength of a ‘category 6’ hurricane.
Scientists propose that with the current effects of climate change, certain tropical storms could potentially be considered as a theoretical “category 6”.
A recent research article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) revealed that the Saffir-Simpson scale, used to measure hurricane wind speeds, fails to adequately address the dangers posed by severe storms.
The hurricane scale, which was established in the 1970s, ranges from 1 to 5. A Category 5 hurricane is characterized by wind speeds of 156 mph or higher, resulting in potential “catastrophic” destruction.
According to an article published in PNAS, various recent storms have already reached the theoretical intensity of category 6. Through multiple sources of evidence, including analysis of simulated and potential peak wind speeds, it is predicted that more of these intense storms will occur as the climate continues to warm.
According to Michael Wehner, the primary author of the most recent study, there have been numerous hurricanes in the past few years that have exceeded wind speeds of 156 mph. He believes that this may call for the creation of a completely new category, known as “category 6.”
According to Mr. Wehner, the broadcaster plans to enhance the classification system to improve public understanding of the dangers posed by severe weather events.
Latest news: Three fatalities caused by toppling trees during severe storm in California.
Three individuals have been officially reported as casualties as a result of trees falling during the continuous storms in California.
The state of California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for a total of eight counties, including Los Angeles and San Diego.
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The Disneyland parks in Anaheim will be closing earlier than usual due to inclement weather.
Park officials have announced that due to adverse weather conditions, both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim will be closing early today.
Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park both closed one hour earlier on Sunday, at 10pm and 9pm, respectively.
Both will close at 8pm on Monday as a precaution for public safety.
The Disneyland amusement parks in Anaheim will once again be closing early due to inclement weather.
Since the beginning of the storms, Los Angeles firefighters have been called to more than 130 flooding emergencies.
According to LAFD Chief Kristin M. Crowley, Los Angeles Firefighters have attended to more than 130 instances of flooding and 49 incidents of mud and debris flows since the start of the storms in California.
In addition, teams have put out six structure fires and helped rescue stranded drivers through water. They have also handled over 65 car accidents as the harsh weather persists on the west coast.
On Monday, Ms Crowley stated that the dangers of this storm are not yet over. She also mentioned that the city is preparing for another round of intense rainfall later today.
Third individual dies in storms in California.
Yesterday, a 41-year-old man named Chad Ensey was tragically killed in Sacramento County when a tree fell on him during the ongoing storms on the West Coast.
According to ABC10, a county representative stated that Mr. Ensey from Carmichael passed away at his residence as a result of blunt trauma.
This is the third weather-related death in California connected to the storms. Elswhere on Sunday, a tree also fell onto a home in Boulder Creek, California, and killed one of the residents inside.
According to a post on Facebook by the Yuba City Police Department, law enforcement responded to a residence in Yuba City on Sunday evening after receiving reports of a person being injured by a fallen tree.
Police officers who responded to the location discovered a man “laying beneath a significantly large redwood tree in his backyard.” Medical personnel made efforts to save his life, but were unsuccessful in reviving him.
ABC 10 was informed by law enforcement that the individual who passed away was 82-year-old David Gomes.
Firefighters are searching the river following reports of a 6-year-old in distress.
The Los Angeles Fire Department conducted a thorough search by both land and air on Monday morning after receiving reports of a six-year-old boy in distress. However, no victim was found.
The event occurred in Arleta, a community located in the San Fernando Valley area of the city.
“According to a statement from the LAFD, despite thorough searching of the flood control channel (which has water flowing at a rate of approximately 15mph and depths of 10-12 feet), no victim has been found.”
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“Teams have combed the river in both directions, from Arleta to Downtown LA, and even beyond (the LA County Fire Department was called in to search outside the city limits). However, no victim was found in the water despite thorough visual searches by fire crews. The incident is now being wrapped up and cleared.”
Residences in Beverly Hills were impacted by the flow of debris.
On Monday morning, seven residences in the upscale neighborhood of Beverly Hills had to be evacuated due to damage caused by debris flow.
As reported by the Los Angeles Fire Department, a total of 15 individuals (6 adults and 9 children) were rescued from their homes due to being stranded. Out of the six homes affected, one was at risk of damage, according to the department.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) stated earlier that there were no individuals trapped by the debris flow. They also informed the Department of Building and Safety to examine and label any severely damaged structures.
View: A man remembers the event when his vehicle became stuck due to severe flooding in California.
A man remembers the time when his car became stuck due to severe flooding in California.
The article is from the Independent, an online newspaper.
