SAN DIEGO — All the snow blanketed California mountains could make the next round of storms even more dangerous.
Atmospheric rivers are expected to slam the state in the coming weeks, bringing heavy rain to higher elevations and triggering rapid snowmelt.
“That's going to enhance some of the ongoing snowmelt and add to problems with potential flooding in those areas,” said Alex Tardy, Meteorologist National Weather Service, San Diego.
He said the cold conditions, snowpack, and rain could cause unsafe conditions and major damage in Central California and trickle south.
“The earth tends to let lose a little bit. You get more rockslides, and some mud flows down on the highways. And then you also get flooding in some communities where the water has nowhere to go,” said Tardy.
There's an unprecedented ten feet of snow in the San Bernardino mountains. Tardy says that it converts to eight to twelve inches of water.
“We have to go back to maybe 1979 to see a comparable storm, even though this appears to be even more than that,” said Tardy.
The meteorologist says comparable atmospheric rivers that San Diegans experienced happened in 2017 and 2019.
This season, California has had a dozen atmospheric rivers, including San Diego, around the new year.
“This winter has been exceptional for atmospheric rivers,” said Shawn Styles, CBS 8 meteorologist. “When you see the pinwheeling of this storm, it becomes like a conveyor belt, and it just grabs it and pulls it through. And it just keeps dragging all that moisture over the same area, day in and day out, day in and day out.”
While central California is expected to have the most impact with the upcoming storm, southern California isn't in the clear.
“All it takes is a little ripple in the jet stream to make that plume of moisture sag a little bit south,” said Styles.
You still have time to prepare by cleaning your gutters and contacting your city to clear any drains of concern.
“Clean out all the drains around your house and make sure that water flows freely away from your home,” said Styles.
The first atmospheric river is forecast for Friday and Saturday, the next one on Monday and Tuesday, and possibly a third in two weeks.
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