California braces for record rainfall and high winds

Up to 37 million people are at risk of possibly life-threatening flooding in California starting on Sunday, forecasters warned.

Up to 37 million people were at risk of possibly life-threatening flooding in California overnight and into Sunday, forecasters warned, as an “atmospheric river” brought heavy rain, snow and strong winds with the potential to down trees and power lines across the state.

The National Weather Service Bay Area warned of “widespread” tree and power line damage across Monterey County and impassable roads and power outages, with gusts of wind expected to top 75 miles per hour.

In San Jose, a community of unhoused people living along the Guadalupe River was ordered to evacuate to local community centers as the river was expected to swell due to the heavy rains in the Santa Cruz Mountains, causing risks to life and property, the city of San Jose said in public emergency updates.

The storm marks the second time this week the state will come under pressure from an “atmospheric river” — plumes of moisture that travel hundreds of miles across the Pacific Ocean. Atmospheric rivers caused downpours in the Bay Area on Wednesday, bringing cable car services to a halt, before moving on to Los Angeles and San Diego by Thursday.

Officials in Santa Barbara County raised evacuation advisories to orders on Saturday, calling on residents to be at a “very high state of readiness.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-storm-weather-record-rainfall-high-winds-rcna137132

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