Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/LOS ANGELES: The western states of the United States were preparing for even more stifling weather on Friday and throughout the weekend as so-called atmospheric rivers queued up to drop massive amounts
of rain and snow upon the already-soaked region.
Rain likely to move farther north
At least 19 people have died as a result of California’s prolonged downpours, which have also flooded neighbourhoods, knocked down power lines, and raised the possibility of devastating mudslides. The rain will move farther north, forming a belt from northern California to the states of Oregon and Washington, according to forecasters, as the first of two cyclones churning in the Pacific Ocean and bearing down on the west coast.
The National Weather Service issued a statement on Thursday stating that “the most substantial precipitation will remain localized along the coasts of the Pacific Northwest and northern California through Friday night, then precipitation will expand south on Saturday and east on Sunday.”
“Over the previous two weeks, Northern California has been battered by significant precipitation events, and any additional rainfall might pose a hazard of flash floods.”
Near Seattle, forecasters expect up to six inches (15 centimeters) of rain to fall over the next 48 hours. As a result of the storm’s heavier, wetter snowfall in the mountains, avalanche advisories were in force for parts of Washington State.
The Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC) warned that “dangerous, big avalanches are predicted to run naturally during this snowy, wet weather event.” Because the heavier, wetter snow tends to accumulate on top of the fluffier, lighter snow, producing an unstable snowpack, so-called wet slab avalanches of particular concern.
The NWAC advised avoiding steep slopes and runouts near avalanche pathways on this day because “wet slab avalanches are not something to tiptoe around.”
