Rain intensified Thursday in California, where the strongest atmospheric river of the season is expected to bring downpours, strong winds and flooding to areas ravaged by wildfires. Ahead of the storm’s arrival, officials distributed sandbags, prepositioned rescue swimmers and told residents to have go-bags ready.
Meanwhile, Portland, Oregon, coated its streets with liquid anti-icer while officials in that state and Idaho opened emergency shelters to prepare for snow and ice on Thursday.
Southern California could get as much as 6 inches (about 15 centimeters) of rain in the mountains and 3 inches (nearly 8 centimeters) in coastal areas and valleys before the system moves out Friday, according to Brent Bower, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. Strong gusts could bring down trees, cause power outages and delay flights.
"If you can, stay off the roads today, especially this afternoon and evening," the weather service office for Los Angeles posted Thursday on X.
Evacuation orders and warnings were issued in areas where hillsides were burned bare by the Palisades Fire, which was the most destructive in LA history, over concerns about potential debris flows during thunderstorms.
Sandbags and temporary concrete barriers were in place across Altadena, where the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes. Lowell Meyer, whose home was spared by the flames, surveyed the storm preparations on Wednesday.
“Any rain in California comes with unexpected and unfortunate consequences,” he said. “And Altadena has steep streets, so it makes sense that there should be concerns. ... I’m glad to see that people are taking it seriously.”
Scorched areas are more at risk of mudslides because vegetation that helps to keep soil anchored has been burned away and loose debris, including ash, soil and rocks, has been added, he said in a statement.
All Malibu schools were closed Thursday, and in Orange County to the south, the Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park shuttered due to the atmospheric river, a long band of water vapor that forms over the ocean and transports moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles, said the area is desperate for rain, but that this storm might bring too much too quickly. The result could be flash flooding and mud flows.
Despite recent storms, much of Southern California remains in extreme or severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, there were power outages, small landslides and inundated roadways. North of the city in wine country, concerns were high along the flood-prone Russian River.
Meanwhile, authorities urged people to evacuate Felton Grove, a small community along California’s central coast, as the San Lorenzo River threatened to overspill its banks.
“Remaining in this evacuated area could cause a risk to personal safety and limit the ability of medical or rescue personnel to get to you,” the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
