California [US], March 10: The first wave of atmospheric rivers is hitting California (USA), bringing with it the risk of heavy rains, floods and widespread snowstorms, forcing Governor Gavin Newsom to expand the scope of the state of emergency.
According to The Sacramento Bee , 21 counties have been added to the state of emergency list in California, including Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Lake, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento , San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Yuba.
Previously, 13 counties were also declared a state of emergency from last week: Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Sonoma and Tulare.
California is facing an atmospheric storm forming in the Pacific Ocean. Forecasters warn of widespread flooding due to heavy rain for much of the state, including mountainous areas still covered with snow after recent snowstorms.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued warnings for particularly heavy rains and severe winds for many areas in northern and central California, including metropolitan areas around the San Francisco Bay and San Francisco Bay. Sacramento.
By March 10 (US time), when the storm is expected to peak, heavy rain warnings and the risk of flooding will affect nearly 26 million people, extending to Los Angeles in the south, according to Reuters, forecasters NWS weather reporter David Roth.
The hurricane is the product of what meteorologists call an atmospheric river , a subtropical outflow of moisture from the Pacific region around Hawaii moving to the West Coast of the United States.
It is also the 10th atmospheric river storm since last Christmas.
Experts say the increase in hurricane frequency and intensity during California's prolonged drought is a sign of man-made climate change.
The swing from one extreme to another in climate conditions further complicates the management of California's precious water resources, as the state seeks to limit the risk of flooding and wildfires.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper
