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The huge state on the west coast of the United States will continue to be hit by heavy rains this weekend, which will cause extensive flooding. Meteorologists warned of an eighth consecutive storm loaded with rain and snow, in a region where the soils are already saturated.
The most populous US state has been hit in the past two weeks by downpours that have killed at least 19 people and triggered flooding, power outages and mudslides.
But now, the meteorological services predict the arrival of a new atmospheric river that will cause floods of great magnitude this weekend. Currently, 90% of Californians are under a flood watch, according to local media.
A new low pressure system hit the region on Friday, threatening to isolate the Monterey Peninsula and inundate the city of Salinas, population 160,000.
“The entire lower Salinas Valley will experience catastrophic flooding,” the United States Weather Service (NWS) warned.
“The entire city of Salinas is in danger of flooding. Most of Castroville will be flooded. All roads near the Salinas River will be flooded and impassable,” forecasters forecast. “Many roads, homes, and agricultural areas in the Salinas Valley will experience significant flood damage.”
The Salinas river is expected to overflow its banks on Friday after weeks of torrential rains, in a flood that could last until Sunday.
Evacuation orders have multiplied, while Monterey County authorities warn that Salinas residents should prepare to “be incommunicado for two or three days” before possible roadblocks. Some 50,000 people in the state had been evacuated on Friday.
Storm Sequence and Climate Change
The warnings come as the region tries to recover from previous repeated downpours. The short lulls between two storms barely give authorities time to clean up the damage before the next deluge.
Among the 19 victims in the state of California are drivers found trapped in their submerged cars, people struck by fallen trees and a couple killed in a rockslide. Thousands of homes have been repeatedly without power.
California is used to extreme weather, and winter storms are common. But scientists say climate change, fueled by human burning of fossil fuels, is making these events more ferocious.
While it is wreaking short-term disasters, the rain is badly needed in the American West, where more than two decades of drought have imposed unprecedented restrictions on water use.
However, experts warn that even the monster downpours that have hit the region this month are not going to reverse more than 20 years of below-average rainfall.
with AFP
