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Severe storms have killed several people in California. Thousands have to leave their homes. The US weather service expects more storms.
- None all clear in California: US Weather Service warns of more rain and flash floods
- destructive storm-Series in California US: Authorities report at least 17 dead, 230,000 without power.
- This News-Ticker to the storm in Californians is updated regularly.
Update from January 14, 1:26 p.m.: In usually sun-kissed California, there is still no end in sight to the strong winter storms. “We’re not over the hill yet,” warned emergency services director Nancy Ward, according to the Los Angeles Times, referring to the new, severe storms predicted: “The threat to communities remains, and the water will continue to rise, even when the storms are over.” According to media reports, at least 19 people have been killed in the west coast state, for example by falling trees or flash floods.
Meanwhile, in states like Alabama and Georgia, the search for missing people and the clean-up work continue. There had been severe tornadoes here.
Severe weather in California: The west coast of the USA has been characterized by extreme weather for years
Update from January 12, 7:18 a.m: Flash floods, hail and storms have been plaguing California for weeks. Troubled by extreme drought for years, the west coast of the USA is experiencing extreme flooding and snowfall in the mountains.
No all-clear in California: US weather service warns of further rain and flash floods
The national weather service NOAA continues to warn of a “series of atmospheric flows in the coming week”. President Joe Biden has issued a declaration of emergency.
The search for a missing five-year-old Kyle continues. The boy was swept away by the floods near the small town of San Miguel. The search team is being assisted by the National Guard, according to the sheriff.
Deadly storms in California: 17 dead, one missing child and over 230,000 homes without power
Update from January 11, 4:28 p.m.: The storms in California continue to rage. Governor Gavin Newsom had to correct the number of deaths so far on Tuesday (January 10) in a renewed interim report to 17 people. As the Los Angeles Times reports included two occupants of a car in the city of Bakersfield. The car crashed after a tree fell on the road. In Paso Robles, a small town between Los Angeles and San Francisco, a five-year-old boy who was swept away by the floods has been missing since Monday (January 9). The boy’s mother was saved.
Over 230,000 California homes were, according to the website Poweroutage.us cut off from power supply on Tuesday (January 10). The police tried to block the flooded lanes with roadblocks. And the situation doesn’t seem to be over yet. “We have several days of bad winter weather ahead of us,” Governor Newsom said.
Deadly storms in California: Already 14 victims – “Be vigilant!”
First report from January 10, 10:21 a.m.: Sacramento – In the US state of California, hurricanes and heavy rains have been raging since the end of December 2022. According to Governor Gavin Newsom, the storm has claimed the lives of 14 people so far. That’s more victims “than the wildfires in the past two years,” Newsom said in a statement on Monday evening (January 9). “Our message to Californians is simple: be extremely vigilant!” They still have several days of severe winter weather ahead of them.
California is currently experiencing a third week of severe winter storms with heavy rain, fierce winds and flooding. Only on Monday (January 9th) did the authorities order evacuations again in several regions. In the south of the west coast state, in the region around the coastal city of Santa Barbara, warnings were given of floods and mud and boulder avalanches. The town of Montecito was also affected, where Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, presenter Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities live.
Storms in California: Rivers burst their banks, roads are impassable
Many streams and rivers in the most populous state in the USA have burst their banks as a result of the winter storms, and some of the roads in the hardest-hit regions are impassable. Due to already wet soil, authorities are also warning of flash floods and mudslides, particularly in areas where previously wildfires have destroyed the plant cover.
The US weather service NWS expects “additional heavy rainfall” in the coming days, which could lead to flooding and landslides. According to the NWS, up to 130 millimeters of rain fell in the coastal regions of central California over the course of Monday (January 9th) alone. Further precipitation was also expected there and in the south of the state for Tuesday (January 10), in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada fresh snow with snow depths of up to 1.80 meters was expected. As of Monday (January 9), more than 100,000 Californian homes were without power. The US government in Washington declared California a state of emergency.
Storm in California: Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres films torrents – “It’s crazy”
In the town of Montecito, popular with US celebrities, even 200 millimeters of rain should fall within 24 hours – on hilly terrain that has already been softened by weeks of downpours. Authorities on a state website called on city residents to leave Montecito “immediately” due to the “rapidly evolving” situation.
Former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres posted a video of a torrent via Twitter. “This is crazy,” she told her followers, “This creek next to our house never flows. It’s probably about a meter tall now and will continue to rise by a foot and a half.” It was initially unclear how many of the city’s residents, which include actress Gwyneth Paltrow and singer Katy Perry, heeded the authorities’ evacuation call.
Montecito is particularly vulnerable to landslides due to extensive vegetation fires in 2017 and 2018. Heavy rainfall is actually not uncommon in the California winter. However, the state has been suffering from a persistent drought for more than two decades, which has favored extensive forest and bush fires, among other things.
Video: Flooding wreaks havoc in California
Where vegetation has been destroyed by fire, heavy rainfall can hardly seep into the ground – which in turn encourages landslides. Moreover, the precipitation is by no means a real remedy for the drought in California: According to scientists, several years of above-average precipitation would be necessary to bring California’s water reserves back to a satisfactory level. (fmu/AFP/dpa)
