SAN DIEGO – A deadly atmospheric river is bringing life-threatening weather to California this week, breaking rainfall records and slamming the Sierra Nevada with winds that rival a Category 5 hurricane.
The situation continues to unfold across California as an atmospheric river storm sends a deluge of moisture, causing mudslides, flooding and prompting water rescues across the region. A state of emergency is in effect for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
CATASTROPHIC FLOODING SWAMPS LOS ANGELES AREA AS DEADLY ATMOSPHERIC RIVER SLAMS CALIFORNIA
Multiple daily rainfall records were broken on Sunday across the greater Los Angeles area. Downtown Los Angeles recorded 6.36 inches since Sunday. Los Angeles International Airport recorded 1.76 inches on Sunday, breaking a 1958 record of .56 inches.
Santa Barbara Airport recorded 2.39 inches on Sunday, blowing the previous record out of the water set in 1990 of .50 inches.
The National Weather Service in San Diego recorded the highest rain totals for California within 24 hours at higher elevations. By Monday at 7 a.m., the area of Lytle Creek recorded 8.59 inches of rain. Deer Creek Dam received 5.55 inches.
CALIFORNIA’S ‘ARKSTORM’: HISTORIC 1000-YEAR FLOODS OF 1861-62 FEATURED 8 WEEKS OF ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS
And the rainfall event isn’t close to being over. The FOX Forecast Center forecasts more records to be set or broken by midweek. Another 2 inches are possible for Southern California, with totals of up to 5 inches at higher elevations through Tuesday.
The atmospheric river system is packing powerful winds blasting the Sierra Nevada with winds topping well over 100 mph in Mono County and the Greater Lake Tahoe area, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
A gust of 162 mph was recorded on Warn Mountain in Lake Tahoe on Sunday, and the ski area of Palisades Tahoe saw a gust of 148 mph. In Mono County, winds peaked at 125 mph at Mammoth Mountain Summit.
The combination of powerful winds and heavy rain has led to widespread flooding and damage to infrastructure throughout California. More than half a million people were without power in California on Monday, an improvement from nearly 1 million outages on Sunday.
Feet of snow have fallen across the Sierra Nevada since the storm began pounding the region.
Mammoth Mountain Ski Base in California recorded 33 inches in 12 hours as of Monday morning. Mount Rose Ski Base in Nevada recorded 26 inches.