Following one another, a phenomenon known as “atmospheric rivers” has affected parts of California, resulting in some of the worst rains in over 140 years.
As the storm pounded the US west coast, two individuals were killed by falling trees in Boulder Creek, south of San Jose, and in Carmichael, a Sacramento suburb.
In Yuba City, which is northeast of San Francisco, a man’s body was discovered beneath a tree in his garden. The police also started looking into this death.
This storm was the second atmospheric river storm, or so-called Pineapple Express weather phenomenon, to slam the state in the previous week.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), almost the whole southern California region was under flash flood warnings on Monday, including the Los Angeles area, where up to 25.4cm (10in) of rain has fallen.
By Monday afternoon, one measuring station in downtown Los Angeles had received 17cm (6.7in) of rain, or about half of the yearly normal of 36cm (14.25in).
According to the NSW, the two-day period was the third-wettest in almost 140 years.
Chief NWS meteorologist in Los Angeles Ariel Cohen stated, “We’re talking about one of the wettest storm systems to impact the greater Los Angeles area since records began.”
“Going back to the 1870s, this is one of the top three.”
