China News Agency, San Francisco, December 31 (Reporter Liu Guanguan) On December 31 local time, Northern California ushered in extensive rain and snow. Some highways were forced to close and some communities were evacuated.

　　Most parts of Northern California ushered in varying degrees of rainfall or snowfall on the 31st.

According to the San Francisco Bay Area Meteorological Department, as of 20:00 on December 31, the total rainfall of the day in downtown San Francisco was 5.46 inches (about 13.87 centimeters), second only to the highest record of 5.54 inches (14.07 centimeters) in 1994.

For high elevations from south of Yosemite National Park to north of Lake Tahoe, a winter storm watch is in effect until Jan. 1, 2023, adding up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow to some mountaintop areas.

In addition, some remote areas south of Yosemite National Park are under an avalanche watch.

　　Much of Northern California is under a flood warning through New Year's Eve due to rain and snow.

Streets in some neighborhoods were flooded and local residents were ordered to evacuate.

The floods also forced the closure of some sections of many highways in Northern California, blocking traffic in some areas.

The Sacramento Weather Department has issued a warning for hazardous driving conditions.

In addition, due to severe weather, on December 31, more than 30,000 Northern California users lost power.

　　More rain is expected in California for most of the first week of 2023.

Sacramento Weather Service staff member Hannah Chandler-Cooley said that the current storm system is relatively warm and wet, and next week's storm will be colder.

The San Francisco Bay Area Meteorological Department said on the 31st that a more powerful "atmospheric river" is expected to arrive in the San Francisco Bay Area on January 4-5, 2023.

Afterwards, more storms are likely to hit the region through mid-January.

　　Recent research suggests that as much as half of the precipitation on the West Coast of the United States comes from "atmospheric rivers."

The current round of rain and snow in Northern California also originated from the large amount of water vapor sucked in by the "atmospheric river" in the Pacific Ocean.

American experts said that this round of precipitation is expected to largely alleviate the drought that has lasted for several years in California.

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