Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/LOS ANGELES: A Bomb Cyclone hit California on Wednesday, bringing strong winds and torrential rain that are predicted to create flooding in places that prior storms have already swamped.
For the most populous US state, centered on San Francisco and Sacramento, authorities issued grim warnings about hazards to life and property. Forecasters warned that the area might experience gusts of up to 70 miles per hour (110 kilometers per hour) and heavy rain through Wednesday, with the precipitation continuing to Thursday.
Meteorologists from the National Weather Service said there could be “roads washing out, widespread flooding, trees down, hillsides collapsing, immediate disruption to commerce, widespread power outages, and the worst of all, it can cause casualties.”
Emergency declared in California
Gavin Newsom, California Governor, said they had declared an emergency “to support recovery efforts and response,” while an Emergency Operation Center was also established in San Francisco. As the city prepared for the storm, restaurants, and bars were closed. Local media showed flooded roadways and reported significant delays in public transportation.
According to the website PowerOutage.us, dozens of flights into and out of the city were canceled or delayed, and some 60,000 residences were without electricity. Residents who were concerned about flooding received thousands of sandbags. Deepak Srivastava told CBS in San Francisco, “We’re concerned about it.
We’re crossing our fingers and hoping for the best that there won’t be any additional damage after spending the entire day placing sandbags in front of the garage at all entrance points. According to city officials, preparation assistance was provided around the clock.
Rachel Gordon said the city’s public works department said, “We’ve been working very hard to acquire sandbags from anywhere we can get them in northern California. However, she issued a warning that the storm should be taken seriously. “Please stay off the roads if you don’t need to be in San Francisco.”
In the Bay Area, up to four inches (10 centimeters) of rain were predicted, with twice that amount on the hills nearby. It was anticipated that the Sierra Nevada Mountain range would receive up to four feet (1.2 meters) of snow.
The rainstorms follow a slew of storms that dropped almost record-breaking rainfall in recent weeks. A storm that hit sections of northern California on New Year’s Eve damaged levees, flooded roads, and caused landslides and power outages.
“This storm alone, without the prior storms, would cause localized flooding and rock collapses and mudslide worries,” meteorologist Matt Solum told AFP. According to scientists, a warmer planet causes more unpredictable weather, fierce storms, and extended, hotter dry periods.
