A dangerous series of storms made landfall in California and is expected to impact the north coast and much of the state for the next 10 days.
Officials are ready to respond to a variety of emergency calls to keep californians safe.
Robert Hart, a Meteorologist from the National Weather Service explains, “There is a lot of wind energy with this system, though not necessarily as strong of winds as some of the past storm systems we’ve had across the state for northern and central California. On average, 35 to 45 mile per hour sustained winds, gusts up to about 60 miles per hour for some of the higher elevations in some of the highest elevations across northern central California. some of those mountain tops could briefly gust around 75 miles per hour.”
Officials warned of power outages, like the one that affected the crescent city area Wednesday morning, and runoff from heavy rainfall. “That’s probably going to result in flooding of some waterways across both Northern and Southern California, continues Hart. “And we’re going to see some rises in the water levels along rivers, creeks and streams. If you’re in a typical flood prone location, keep an eye to the water levels. Those could quickly begin to rise as we get into a period of heavy rainfall.”
The state is ready to respond and closely monitoring river levels at more than 100 locations.
John Poasch, Deputy Director of the Department of Water Resources’ Security & Emergency Management Program says “We’ve really bulked up our flood fight materials, which now includes 5 million sandbags that have been pre-positioned, pre-positioned at 64 locations statewide for quick deployment if they’re needed.
That includes Humboldt and Mendocino Counties. Over the past twelve hours or so we have seen heavy rains, and the downpours will continue, with several inches predicted across the area in the next few days. at higher elevations, quite a bit of snow is forecast, and that snowfall will slowly make its way further down the mountains.
Big waves out at sea with a hazardous seas warning from Cape Mendocino to Point St George, flood advisories and winter storm warnings at higher elevations along with high wind warnings.
“Today, not tomorrow, is the time to talk with your family, support your elderly neighbors, and ensure that you are prepared,” says Nick Schuler, Director of Communications for CAL FIRE. “Being prepared will undoubtedly save you from unimaginable grief that we’ve seen this past week. Have an evacuation plan, a go bag with essential medications and necessary documents. Plan for your pets, ensure you have a full tank of gas like is what’s been said before. do not drive through moving water. And most importantly, if you are asked to evacuate, please do so without hesitation.”
