At least nine people died on Monday and Tuesday during the passage of a second atmospheric river in California. The storm, which the National Weather Service forecasts will continue to affect the state until Tuesday afternoon, was accompanied by strong winds and heavy rain and snowfall that caused several complications in various counties throughout California:
More than 10 inches of rain has fallen across the Los Angeles area since Sunday, with plenty more to come. Significant flooding is ongoing and expected to expand/worsen as rain continues to fall. Don't put yourself in harm's way, turn around, don't drown! pic.twitter.com/rVK1TOHFBk
— National Weather Service (@NWS) February 5, 2024
Officials told the Los Angeles Times that the effects of the storm killed three people this Monday. The first, an elderly man, died in Yuba City, northern California, when a redwood tree fell in his backyard. The other two people also died when they were crushed by falling trees. One of them in the Sacramento Valley and the other, a woman, in a home in Santa Cruz County.
Power and flight problems in California
The atmospheric river has also wreaked havoc on electricity supplies. As of 3:30 AM (EST) Tuesday, a total of 217,681 homes in California were listed as being without power, the Poweroutage.us website detailed.
Flights were also affected. The Santa Barbara airport was closed on Monday due to flooding although, they reported in a posting on X, they opened at 1.00 p.m. to continue offering services:
Santa Barbara Airport remains closed until further notice. The airfield experienced significant flooding due to the storm, but crews are hard at work to clean the impacted areas.
Please continue checking directly with your airline for current flight status. pic.twitter.com/gfxsgckIZg
— Santa Barbara Airport (@SBAirport) February 5, 2024
It wasn't the only one. According to FlightAware, some flights at San Francisco International Airport and San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport suffered severe delays and even cancellations although, in their case, they did not have to close due to the ravages of the storm.
Some universities and schools did modify their schedule this Monday due to the storm. Specifically, the University of Los Angeles County announced Monday that, so as not to put the lives of its students, staff and faculty at risk, they would conduct classes telematically:
Classes will be held remotely on Monday, Feb. 5. This includes classes on our downtown Los Angeles campus. Students, please check your class Canvas or reach out to your instructor for more information.
— Cal State LA (@CalStateLA) February 5, 2024
Classes will be held remotely on Monday, Feb. 5. This includes classes on our downtown Los Angeles campus. Students, please check your class Canvas or reach out to your instructor for more information.
— Cal State LA (@CalStateLA) February 5, 2024
The same decision was taken by the California State University, San Bernardino. The educational center also returned to distance education in order to save students, faculty and staff until Tuesday, when they will resume face-to-face classes:
Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency
The ravages of the storm led Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency on Sunday. As can be read in the press release provided by the governor's office, the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura activated a state of emergency until further notice:
Governor @GavinNewsom has proclaimed a state of emergency for several counties in Southern California to support storm response and recovery efforts.https://t.co/dhHZ67cuHD
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) February 4, 2024
Governor @GavinNewsom has proclaimed a state of emergency for several counties in Southern California to support storm response and recovery efforts.https://t.co/dhHZ67cuHD
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) February 4, 2024
