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Bodega Bay in Northern California (January 31)
Photo: Carlos Barria / REUTERS
Actually, California – at least the south – is known for reliably good weather. “It never rains in Southern California,” Albert Hammond once sang. Of course, this doesn't apply across the board. And especially not in the coming days. The weather experts are warning of severe storms with huge amounts of rain. And that happened twice within a few days.
During these hours, the first of two bands of currents - so-called atmospheric rivers - reaches the state. These bands of moist air build up over the oceans and can be several thousand kilometers long. They transport moist, warm air from the tropics to temperate latitudes and unload their water load on the coasts there. The result: rivers overflow their banks and coastal plains can be flooded over large areas.
In the current case it is warm, moist air from the areas around Hawaii. That's why this special constellation is also called the "Pineapple Express" in the USA. Last winter, several of these bands hit the state and caused significant damage. By mid-January 2023, more than 20 people had died.
Northern California is currently the hardest hit by the first band of storms. It's already raining heavily there at times.
There will be plenty of snowfall in the mountains
The second band of rain is expected this weekend and is expected to be significantly heavier. There is a warning of hours of heavy rain, heavy squalls and possible storm surges. “All the ingredients for a potentially very serious storm will be there,” the British “Guardian” quotes weather expert Daniel Swain from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Significant snowfall is expected at higher elevations. At least there, according to the Guardian, a somewhat positive effect could be expected. Accordingly, the snow depths are currently significantly below average in some cases. That might be different after the weekend.
yikes