California finds itself Saturday under the threat of flooding after the surge of a new storm the day before, which led to evacuation orders in several regions already victims of a particularly rainy winter in recent weeks. Up to 23 centimeters of precipitation is expected in places. This rain, resulting from a rather warm depression, is likely to melt some of the exceptional snowpack accumulated over the last three months.

Enough to cause runoff that is impossible to contain for the state's waterways. Rain on "saturated soils" with water because of this winter's storms and on "the thick snowpack will cause significant flooding," the U.S. Weather Service (NWS) warned. At higher altitudes, snowfall on the mountains of Northern California is expected to "cause difficulties to circulate".

Aid is long overdue

US President Joe Biden on Friday approved a declaration of a state of emergency in California, in order to facilitate federal aid. "California is deploying every tool at its disposal to protect communities from the relentless and deadly storms that are hitting our state," said Governor Gavin Newsom, who called for the emergency assistance.



Numerous evacuation orders have been issued, particularly in Northern California, where seven rivers could experience major flooding. California, the most populous state in the country, is experiencing a particularly rainy winter. In January, a series of storms caused multiple floods, landslides and falling trees, killing 20 people.

"Pineapple Express"

The current storm is fed, like most others this winter, by an "atmospheric river," a gigantic rain corridor that carries water vapor stored in the tropics, often around Hawaii, earning them the nickname "Pineapple Express." "Stay home tonight if you can," the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office advised on Twitter, near San Francisco. A car was crushed by a falling tree in the area of Redwood City, but the driver and passenger are expected to escape, according to the sheriff.

In eastern California, the Sierra Nevada mountain range has been covered in a much thicker-than-normal snowpack for weeks. Faced with new snowfall on Friday, several ski resorts in the region closed their doors. In South Lake Tahoe, the weight of accumulated snow caused the roof of a gas station to collapse, sparking a fire, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Local firefighters told the newspaper that several similar incidents had taken place in recent days. "No one was injured in any of these incidents, which is remarkable," said one of their officials, Kim George.

The Oscars ceremony maintained

Further south, in the San Bernardino Mountains near Los Angeles, some villages are just beginning to become accessible again, after being cut off from the world for several days, or even weeks for some hamlets. Some residents expressed annoyance at the slow turnout and one man even stole a municipal snowplow in Big Bear last Saturday.

In the powder, however, he did not manage to cover his tracks: the machine was equipped with a tracking device, and he was easily arrested by the police. In Los Angeles itself, the storm has complicated preparations for the Oscars, scheduled for Sunday. On Friday, the teams handling the preparations placed buckets along the red carpet, to collect the rain that flowed under the tent covering the area. The water threatened to ruin the large golden statues installed for the event.

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