California’s Soaked. So, Southern California’s dealing with a major rain dump causing some serious chaos right before the holiday weekend. This atmospheric river is just unloading tons of rain, flooding roads, and making life pretty tough.
Overflowing with Rain
This wild atmospheric river dumped over 4 inches of rain from Tuesday to Thursday, and it’s not stopping. The heaviest downpour’s happening Thursday night, bringing in more than 2 inches of rain per hour. You guessed it—flash floods are a big risk right now, as per the National Weather Service.
Evacuations and Flood Havoc
Ventura County’s in a fix with the heavy rain. Some spots are under evacuation warnings until Friday noon because things are getting pretty intense. Oxnard, the county’s big city, got hit hard with over 2.5 inches of rain in just a few hours. That’s like a once-in-500-years kind of rain for them!
Flooded Homes and Emergency Calls
Ventura County’s been hit bad. Around 60 homes are dealing with floodwaters, and the fire department’s been working overtime. They got a crazy 275 calls in just five hours overnight, way more than their usual average. Imagine having 90 calls lined up at one point—talk about a hectic night!
Roads Underwater and Rescues Galore
The situation’s rough on the roads too. Flooded streets had some cars trapped, and the fire crews had to swoop in for 12 swift water rescues. Santa Barbara’s not doing too hot either. Parts of Highway 101 were closed thanks to all the water making a mess.
More Rain on the Way
Southern California’s in for more soaking. Another 2 to 5 inches of rain is expected, and some areas might even get 5 to 10 more inches! Flood watches are on high alert, especially for parts of Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Palm Springs.
The Threats Looming Large
The weather service isn’t playing it cool either. They’re warning about possible life-threatening flooding, debris flows near burn scars, and creek flooding. It’s a big mess with flooded roads, mudslides, and debris flows expected across Thursday.
Storm Woes Beyond California
It’s not just California feeling the heat—or in this case, rain. Northern California got hit by a rare visitor: a small tornado in Oroville. This ain’t your usual December thing, but an EF-1 tornado did some minor damage without causing any harm.
Trouble on the East Coast Too
While the West is soaked, the Northeast’s dealing with its own crisis. Torrential rain has left parts of the Northeast in shambles. Maine’s got over 130,000 without power since Monday, and it’s getting chilly. Freezing temperatures are just adding to the misery for folks without power.
The Maine Power Woes
Restoring power’s a headache in Maine with strong winds slowing things down. Downed trees and power lines are still causing road closures, making life pretty tough for many.
So, yeah, it’s a mess on both coasts with flooding, tornadoes, power outages, and all-around extreme weather giving folks a tough time.
