California braces for more severe weather

President Biden has declared a state of emergency in California ahead of the storm.

by Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech | Jan. 09, 2023

Waves crash into a seawall in Pacifica, Calif., Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. California weather calmed Friday but the lull was expected to be brief as more Pacific storms lined up to blast into the state, where successive powerful weather systems have knocked out power to thousands, battered the coastline, flooded streets, toppled trees and caused at least six deaths. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Story at a glance

Severe weather has pummeled most of California through much of 2023.

Californians are again bracing for potential flooding and power outages as more heavy rain and winds make their way to the state.

At least 12 people have died as a result of the storms so far, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

Millions of Californians are preparing for additional heavy rain and winds after a week of powerful storms pummeled most of the state, sparking deadly flash flooding and power outages.

California will see at least two “major episodes” of heavy rain and heavy snow during the next two days along with an “energetic and moisture-laden parade of cyclones,” according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

The first burst of heavy rainfall is expected to drop between 3-5 inches of water along the California coast while the second will likely bring less rain over the southern parts of the state, according to forecasters.

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The Sierra Nevada is expected to be blanketed in more than 6 feet of snow at higher elevations between Monday and Wednesday morning, the NWS warned.

Forecasters warn that the heavy rain and snowfall have the potential to lead to mudslides and major river flooding.

Early Monday, President Biden declared a state of emergency in California, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and distribute emergency resources.

At least 12 Californians have died and hundreds of thousands of others have been left without power as a result of a series of storms that have hit the state in the first week of the year.

More than 210,000 customers in California still do not have power as a result of the storms, according to data from PowerOutage.us, a site that aggregates power outages across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Last week’s storms were caused by a combination of weather phenomena known as a “bomb cyclone.” This took place as an atmospheric river pushing a heavy stream of moisture from the Pacific Ocean to the West Coast met with a front of low air pressure.