Flooding, landslides as atmospheric river departs a soggy California
Over 60 cm of rain has fallen in L.A. so far this year
Southern California residents weary of a stormsoaked winter were hit Wednesday by parting shots from the season’s 11th atmospheric river, which flooded roadways, caused mudslides and toppled trees throughout the state.
Hollywood stars splashed down a rain-soaked red carpet Tuesday at the premiere of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” in Los Angeles, where rainfall totals are double the normal average.
The film’s stars including Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler tiptoed along the saturated rug as they unsuccessfully tried to stay dry.
“My feet are wet,” said Zegler. “I’m a little bit bummed, I’m not gonna lie.”
Water, mud and rocks were reported on many roads, along with potholes that disabled numerous cars. Flooding closed several miles of Pacific Coast Highway through Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles on the Orange County coast. The National Weather Service said the 61 centimetres of rain recorded so far this water year in downtown Los Angeles make this the 14th wettest in more than 140 years of records.
Remaining showers across Southern California were expected to decrease through Wednesday and end by evening, forecasters said. Weather in northern and central sections of the state dried out earlier following Tuesday’s rain and fierce winds that blew out windows on a San Francisco highrise and gusted to 120 km/h at the airport.
California’s latest atmospheric river was one of two storm systems that bookended the U.S. this week. Parts of New England and New York were digging out of a nor’easter Wednesday that caused tens of thousands of power outages, numerous school cancellations and whiteout conditions on roads.
Runoff from a powerful atmospheric river last week had burst a levee on the Pajaro River, triggering evacuation orders for about 8,500 people as water flooded farmland and agricultural communities.
The first phase of repairs on the 120-metre breach were completed Tuesday afternoon and crews were working to raise the section to full levee height, county officials said.
California was deep in drought before an unexpected series of atmospheric rivers barrelled into the state from late December through mid-January, causing flooding while building a staggering snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.
Storms powered by arctic air followed in February, creating blizzard conditions that buried mountain communities in so much snow that structures began collapsing.
The water content of the Sierra snowpack is now more than 200 per cent of the April 1 average, when it normally peaks, according to the Department of Water Resources.
California was deep in drought before an unexpected series of atmospheric rivers barrelled into the state from late December through mid-January