California’s flood problems could get even worse as a 12th atmospheric river prepares to hit the state

Officers have ordered residents of Alpaugh and Allensworth (situated about an hour north of Bakersfield, Calif., roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles) to evacuate, amid fears the roads may change into impassable.

The storm is predicted to be much less intense than previous atmospheric rivers, bringing one to a few inches of rain alongside the decrease elevations and 2-4 inches within the foothills, however may also carry wind gusts of as much as 70 mph. Forecasters say the rains will hit the San Diego area late Tuesday morning earlier than transferring inland. And the Sierra Nevada Mountain Vary and San Bernardino Mountains expect as much as 4 further toes of snow by Wednesday afternoon.

Atmospheric rivers, a meteorological time period that few have been accustomed to earlier than this string of storms, are bands of moisture that act like a fireplace hose once they hit land, dumping rain and snow for hundreds of miles. The parade of storms in 2023 have helped reduce the drought in California, however have resulted in widespread flooding  and heavy snow all through the state (which may lead to extra flooding as spring thawing begins).

The continual line of storms has triggered some meteorologists to lose their cool this winter. In January, for instance, the Nationwide Climate Service’s Bay space workplace issued a frank and dire warning, saying “this may seemingly be some of the impactful programs on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in an extended whereas. … That is really a brutal system that we’re taking a look at and must be taken critically.”

Because the starting of the 12 months, some areas of the state have obtained almost 40 inches of rain. Downtown Los Angeles has seen over 25 inches. And in San Diego County, extra rain has fallen prior to now 2.5 months than in all of 2022.