A storm from the Pacific Ocean, the second powerful storm to hit the U.S. West Coast in less than a week, brought heavy rainfall to Southern California on Monday, leading to flash floods that submerged streets and landslides across the region. Warnings for extreme weather, including flooding, high winds, and winter storms, were issued on Monday for parts of California and southwestern Arizona, where about 35 million people live, and authorities urged residents to limit driving.
The National Weather Service documented astonishing amounts of rain from the storm, which struck Northern California on Sunday with strong winds alongside heavy rainfall that intensified as the storm moved south on Sunday evening and Monday. Ariel Cohen, a senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Los Angeles, stated during a press conference Monday evening, "We are talking about one of the wettest storm systems affecting the greater Los Angeles area since records began." He added, "Going back to the 1870s, this would be one of the top three storms."
The White House reported that President Joe Biden spoke with California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, pledging federal assistance for the areas heavily impacted by the storm. The Los Angeles Police Department reported dozens of traffic collisions resulting in injuries since the onset of the storm, a number significantly higher than usual.
Winds reaching speeds of 121 kilometers per hour on Sunday caused downed trees and power lines across the San Francisco Bay Area and the central coast of California, leading to power outages for about 875,000 homes at the storm's peak. Additionally, at least two people died due to falling trees on Sunday. Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the governor's emergency services office, stated that rescue teams had retrieved dozens of individuals and transported them to safety throughout the state, most of whom were drivers trapped due to flooding when they attempted to drive on inundated roads.
