New storm threatens more flooding in California

The latest weather phenomenon over the weekend claimed the lives of at least two people and forced the evacuation of thousands of citizens.

California: New Storm Threatens Severe Flooding — (Photo capture / Twitter - @NWSWPC)

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Verónica Silveri Pazos

13 de marzo, 2023

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A new "atmospheric river" arrived in California on Monday and will leave heavy rain, more flooding and snow in its wake. This comes after another storm over the weekend caused intense flooding that claimed the lives of at least two people and forced the evacuation of thousands of citizens.

Most of California's 58 counties are in a state of emergency due to severe weather in Central and Northern California.

The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) issued a "moderate risk" warning for excessive rainfall (level 3 of 4) for parts of northern parts of California and southwestern Oregon. This storm could further impact areas affected by severe flooding in recent days:

As a result of the heavy rain, the WPC has issued a Moderate Risk of excessive rainfall over portions of Northern California and southwestern Oregon through Tuesday morning. The associated heavy rain will create numerous areas of flash flooding. Furthermore, many streams may flood, potentially affecting larger rivers.

The weather phenomenon will be moving southward on Tuesday, when warning will be extended to the coast of Southern California and the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The WPC warns:

The rain and snow will intensify late Monday into Wednesday, creating considerable flooding impacts below 5000 feet elevation across much of the California Coast and Central Valley and over the southern Sierra Nevada foothills into Wednesday. The additional heavy rain and snowmelt will result in more widespread flooding from Tuesday into Wednesday, particularly in low elevations and areas with increasing temperatures impacting snowpack.

More than 17 million people (including those in the San Francisco Bay Area) remain under warnings for strong wind gusts, which could reach 39-50 mph.

Biden declares emergency in California

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in California on Friday to speed the arrival of federal aid assistance for the catastrophic storms and storms that have been battering the state for months.

The White House activated assistance for Amador, Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne and Yuba counties.

Biden's decision came in response to a request from Governor Gavin Newsom, who warned that over 1 million people were under the threat of flooding. It also gives the authorization to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to "identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency" in the aforementioned areas.

An estimated 14 people have died in the past few weeks in Southern California, especially in the mountain communities of San Bernardino and San Gabriel, east of Los Angeles.

Hazardous weather events threaten 23 states across the nation. Approximately 70 million people have been on alert so far this year for snowfall, heavy rain or extreme weather.

Nor'easter storms on the Atlantic Coast

Along the northeast coast of the country, a storm system known as a nor'easter will develop. This will produce heavy rainfall along the Mid-Atlantic coast and heavy showers and thunderstorms in parts of the Southeast through late Tuesday afternoon.

Impacts may be felt in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont .

Nor'easters are storms that typically move northeastward across the country and peak near the New England region. They almost always cause heavy rain or snow, strong winds, rough waves and flooding in the affected coastal areas.