Thunderstorms lash California, killing at least two
By LIU YINMENG in Los Angeles | China Daily | Updated: 2023-01-07 09:37
Thunderstorms that have barreled through California since the New Year weekend have killed at least two people, knocked out power for tens of thousands and threatened much of the state with flash flooding.
"We anticipate that this may be one of the most challenging and impactful series of storms to touch down in California in the last five years," said Nancy Ward, the director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
According to the National Weather Service, the hazardous winds, snow and rain forecast on the West Coast are expected to continue through at least Jan 13-19.
The storms came on the heels of a ferocious downpour on New Year's Eve, which had left the ground sodden and waterlogged. They prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to proclaim a state of emergency on Wednesday.
Janisse Quinones, senior vice-president of electric operations at utility PG&E, told reporters on Thursday that the state has received about 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain since the storms hit, which created "a very critical situation" for the company's response efforts.
"We are expecting a storm on Saturday and another storm system on Monday, which creates a window of opening for restoration, (which is) very limited for our crews," she said.
On Thursday, at least 100,000 residents were without power, according to the PowerOutage website.
The storms hitting California are triggered in part by the so-called atmospheric rivers, or long, flowing regions of the atmosphere that transport water vapor through the sky. When atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release this water vapor in the form of rain or snow.
