A powerful cyclone with heavy rains will hit California on Wednesday, on the west coast of the United States, where tens of thousands of people received evacuation orders before a string of storms that left at least 17 dead.
“A huge rotating cyclone off the West Coast will bring (Wednesday) the next round of heavy precipitation and gusty winds, this time targeting Northern California,” the US National Weather Service (NWS) said.
He added that the cyclone will bring 180 millimeters of rain as well as abundant snow in the Sierra Nevadaaccording to the AFP news agency.
The announcement comes after torrential downpours on Tuesday that caused flash flooding, closed roads, fell trees and swept away people and vehicles, including a five-year-old boy who remains missing in the center of this state on the west coast of the United States. States, the most populous in the country.
The storms also left about 66,000 customers without power early Wednesday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.
Here’s the #weather snapshot for #Wednesday:
-The atmospheric river pattern into #California will re-focus mainly across northern portion of the Golden State with heavy rain and mountain snow
-A few strong to severe storms will be possible in the Mid Mississippi and Ohio Valleys pic.twitter.com/ideC0gsgzA—National Weather Service (@NWS) January 10, 2023
The US weather service described a “relentless series of atmospheric rivers”causing the most powerful storm system to affect the region since 2005.
Extreme weather won’t be limited to Californiasaid the NWS. The system that caused Tuesday’s showers is making its way across the country and is likely to cause thunderstorms in parts of the central and southern United States.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at least 34,000 people were instructed to evacuate in the face of the storms.
“The fact is that we are not out of the woods; we expect these storms to continue through at least the 18th of this month,” Newsom said.
“Now we have 17 confirmed deaths – and I stress ‘confirmed’ tragically – only confirmed deaths,” he added.
“The fact is that we are not out of the woods, we expect these storms to continue at least until the 18th of this month,”Gavin Newsom, Governor of California
The town of Montecito, population 9,000, home to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, was the subject of an evacuation order Monday as heavy rains threatened to cause landslides on hills already inundated after weeks of downpours, but the order was finally lifted yesterday.
Home to stars like Ellen DeGeneres, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry and Rob Lowe, Montecito is especially vulnerable to landslides because it sits at the foot of a mountain range that was the scene of a fire Five years ago it razed hundreds of square kilometers, stripping the slopes of the vegetation that normally holds the ground firm.
Also, San Luis Obispo County authorities called off the search for a 5-year-old boy because the stormwater was too dangerous for divers, Fox News reported, citing a local official.
The boy, who fled with his mother from their flooded car, was not pronounced dead. His mother was rescued.
California, more intense weather is on the way.
We’re working around the clock with federal, state, and local emergency offices to move resources while protecting lives and property.
These storms are deadly — be cautious. pic.twitter.com/k25UDA5QTS
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) January 11, 2023
Meanwhile, two motorists were killed in a crash north of Bakersfield after a tree crashed into a road.
There is widespread destruction, with entire communities inundated in some areas.
Several areas of the state are under flood warnings and forecasters said the situation will continue.
