California and other parts of the West faced heavy snow and rain Friday from the latest winter storm to pound the U.S., while thousands of people in Michigan shivered through extended power outages wrought by one of the worst ice storms in decades.
The National Weather Service warned of a “cold and dangerous winter storm” that would last through Saturday in California.
When we describe snow on San Diego County’s mountains, it’s typically with words like dusting and slushy. This time, we can safely use the word dumping.
Three to five feet of snow is possible on San Diego’s mountain tops by the time a winter storm combined with an atmospheric river is finished on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
The most powerful storm in more than a decade will hit San Diego County late Friday and early Saturday with snow that could cause whiteout conditions in the mountains and shut down Interstate 8, rain that could cause widespread flooding and mudslides, and winds that could make kindling out of trees, the National Weather Service said.
A series of storms brought wild weather to San Diego this week, including rain that could cause flooding and gusty winds that toppled trees into cars, homes and streets and led to power outages across the county.
The first of back-to-back storms reached the region Tuesday night and by Wednesday morning had already caused widespread damage. An atmospheric river was slated to reach the county by Thursday, meaning more damage was possible in the days ahead.
The interior of the plane looked like a cross between a private luxury jet and a space mission control room.
The Gulfstream IV cruised at 43,000 feet, high above a seemingly peaceful layer of thick clouds that stretched to the horizon.
Crew members in blue jumpsuits stared at computer screens that revealed their hidden target miles below: a powerful atmospheric river that was churning across the Pacific Ocean toward California, bearing torrential rains and fierce winds.
Just six months ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his administration were boasting a budget surplus of $97.5 billion. Today, thanks to a falling stock market and a weakened tech sector, California has an apparently unforeseen budget deficit of $22.5 billion. Cuts must be made.
But Newsom’s proposed cuts seemingly come at the expense of climate-related projects, a curious decision from a governor who often speaks about how confronting climate change is one of his key priorities. Unsurprisingly, his actions do not meet the weight of his words.
The atmospheric river storm that was bearing down on the Bay Area Wednesday night and Thursday morning raised concerns about mudslides, power outages and other problems. And a series of new storms headed our way this weekend means the end is not yet in sight.
An atmospheric river taking aim for California was expected to bring heavy rains to an already-drenched San Diego County overnight Thursday, creating the possibility for flooding, downed trees and big waves for the first week of the New Year. The atmospheric river, which is a term used to describe heavier-than-normal rains that pull moisture from the tropics, inundated Northern and Central California on Wednesday, prompting evacuations, causing power outages and other damage.
The atmospheric river storm hitting California this week presents a test for an experimental waste-capturing system that’s intended to keep plastic bottles, diapers and other trash from flowing into the Pacific. It has even captured a couch. The solar-powered system, designed to work mostly autonomously, was introduced in October at the mouth of Ballona Creek near Playa del Rey.
Drenching rains forecast to pummel California on Wednesday and again over the weekend are poised to be the third and fourth major storms to march through in less than two weeks, raising the prospect of more misery in a season that has already brought flooding, debris flows and power outages to parts of the state. Over the weekend, rescuers scoured rural areas of Sacramento County looking for people trapped in homes or cars.
