Southern California experienced heavy rain and flash flooding due to a powerful atmospheric river, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in eight counties, including Los Angeles and Orange County.
LA and San Bernardino County also declared their states of emergency.
#Watch Flood situation in Los Angeles, California with the Santa Monica Mountains getting blasted by very heavy rain. This is Ballona Creek near Marina Del Rey flowing at 18,000 cfs! #CaliforniaStorm #Flooding #California #USA #CaliforniaWeather #MarinaDelRay #SantaBarbara… pic.twitter.com/V1dn7DbbFt
— Europe Cognizant (@EuropeCognizant) February 5, 2024
“Los Angeles County is taking action to protect our communities during the storm and to recover from any impacts that may result,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey P Horvath.
Over 900,000 California power customers experienced outages due to heavy rain and strong winds from an intense atmospheric river, as officials warned of one of the “most dramatic weather days in recent memory.”
This rainfall and snow are crucial for western water supplies, filling reservoirs during hot summers.
Last week’s atmospheric river broke multiple rainfall records across California and triggered road closures and water rescues.
Atmospheric rivers can also impact the eastern US and happen frequently in parts of Europe, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
