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California storm leaves 19 dead and forces more than 50,000 people to evacuate

34 million residents are at risk of flooding and more than 63,000 people have lost power.

Fotografía del temporal que sufrió California el 6 de enero de 2023 en el puerto de Santa Bárbara, en la localidad de Montecito.

Puerto de Santa Barbara durante el temporal del 6 de enero de 2023 (Archivo / Cordon Press).

Published by
Rosana Rábago Sainz

is still dealing with the aftermath of a severe storm caused by several atmospheric rivers. Nineteen people have died in the state and a 5-year-old boy is currently missing after getting swept away while rescuing his mother from the car where she was trapped.

In addition, the town of Montecito, home to celebrities such as Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey, is among the cities in Santa Barbara County that was told to evacuate by the authorities. Sheriff Bill Brown reported that the decision to evacuate was made due to fears of landslides in the area where wildfires caused the ground to have less stability:

We’re in the midst of a series of significant and powerful storms. Currently, we’re experiencing a storm that is causing many problems and has the potential to cause major problems across our county, especially in the burn scar areas.

Santa Cruz County, 70 miles south of San Francisco, is also being evacuated due to the storm as well as El Dorado, Monterey and Alameda counties. In total, more than 50,000 Californians have been affected. Those who did not have to leave their homes are also not spared from problems. According to the PowerOutage.us website, as of early Tuesday morning, more than 63,000 customers were without power.

Flooding due to storm

Ninety percent of California could be affected by the passage of these atmospheric rivers, affecting an estimated 34 million Californians. The worst part, however, is that the storms will continue in the state until Thursday at the earliest. The National Weather Service reported the following:

Next Atmospheric River expected to impact northern California and the Pacific Northwest beginning on Wednesday. Just as the last episode of heavy precipitation across California is beginning to wind down early this morning, another energetic low pressure system is quickly gathering strength off the West Coast and heading once again toward California. In addition to being highly moisture-laden, this rapidly intensifying system is also packing some thunderstorms.

Next Thursday, after the storm in California has passed, the precipitation totals "will be in the 3-7 inch range through the Transverse Range of southern California, northward along the central to northern California coast ranges and through the Sierra."

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