Once again, California bracing for floods and destructive weather

A series of warm atmospheric river storms are expected to bring another bout of flooding to California, continuing a season of dramatic — and damaging — rain and snow.

A series of warm atmospheric river storms are expected to bring another bout of flooding to California, continuing a season of dramatic — and damaging — rain and snow.  

“With the abundant rain coming from these atmospheric rivers, we will see flood impacts again,” Michael Anderson, the California state climatologist, said in a Thursday news briefing, calling some of the expected precipitation totals “astounding.”

At least 10 rivers are expected to exceed their flood stages, according to the California Nevada River Forecast Center as of Thursday afternoon. Many of the same locations were hammered by floods in January, as storm after storm pummeled central and northern California. 

By 6 p.m. Thursday, around 1 inch of rain had fallen in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, including Oakland and Berkeley, according to the National Weather Service. Urban areas in the region were forecast to get up to 3 inches, with up to 6 inches in coastal areas and inland hills, it said. 

At higher elevations, freezing levels are expected to rise. Rain falling on top of recent snow will likely cause avalanches as the snowpack absorbs several inches of water. In mountain towns, weather experts and local officials have been warning that rain could be absorbed by rooftop snow and cause buildings to collapse.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/snow-parts-california-now-brace-rain-floods-rcna74091

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