California is facing a fresh battering from severe weather this weekend, with a winter storm expected to bring heavy snow, rain and the threat of floods to parts of the state, potentially putting “lives and property” in “great danger,” forecasters have warned.
The storm is expected to affect the West Coast, particularly California, through Friday, bringing a “burst of heavy precipitation,” the National Weather Service said.
The weather service’s Weather Prediction Center has issued a High Risk of excessive rainfall over California through Saturday morning, with severe, widespread flash flooding expected with the storm.
“Areas that normally do not experience flash flooding will flood,” the weather service said. “Lives and property are in great danger from Friday into Saturday morning,” it warned.
An “atmospheric river” already began moving into California on Thursday, raising the risk of floods, forecasters and other officials said.
“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. He described some of the expected precipitation totals as “astounding.”
At least 10 rivers are expected to exceed their flood stages, according to the California Nevada River Forecast Center as of early Friday morning.
Heavy rain and high snow levels are likely across part of the state, with warm air associated with the storm expected to see rain falling on existing snowpacks up to 8,500 feet, the weather service said.
The highest snow levels and heaviest rainfall are expected to hit Central California, with “considerable flooding impacts” possible across parts of the central coast and San Joaquin Valley, the weather service said.
“Rain and snowmelt will lead to flooding,” it warned, adding that the most significant snowmelt and overall flooding threat is expected below 5,000-foot elevation in areas with shallow snowpack. “Creeks and…
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