A mudslide on February 28 that was triggered by a powerful storm passing through La Cañada, a town at the foot of the Verdugo Mountains in Los Angeles
David McNew/Getty Images
Powerful storms have battered California in recent days, causing mudslides that have damaged homes. Heavy snow, high winds and rain since Feb. 24 have toppled trees and power lines across the state, leaving more than 120,000 people without electricity.
Blocked mountain roads mean residents of San Bernardino County in southern California are stranded with dwindling food and fuel supplies, prompting the declaration of a local emergency. So far, no deaths or injuries from the storm have been reported, although at least 22 people died in the storms California experienced in January.
The storm is causing “extremely hazardous to impossible driving conditions” and “widespread road closures and infrastructure impacts”, according to a tweet from the US National Weather Service.
He also broke several records. The temperature in San Francisco dropped to 4°C (39°F) on February 24, its lowest in 132 years. Meanwhile, Los Angeles International Airport saw a record rainfall of 52 millimeters February 25. A blizzard warning was announced by the National Weather Service in San Diego, southern California, for the first time ever.
Over the next few days, heavy snowfall is expected to fall in northern California, where the National Weather Service predicted it will accumulate at 51mm per hour amid wind gusts of up to 97 kilometers per hour.
Prior to this most recent storm, the state was already experiencing an unusually cold and rainy winter that has already caused flooding and mudslides.
One of the benefits of inclement weather is that it can help alleviate California’s droughts, Samantha Connolly to the national weather service said American Scientist. The tanks have been filled – although groundwater reserves remain low.
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