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Why atmospheric rivers tin beryllium truthful devastating
From CNN's Jennifer Gray
The strategy wreaking havoc successful California is portion of an atmospheric river – a long, constrictive portion successful the ambiance that tin transport moisture thousands of miles, similar a occurrence hose successful the sky.
While they whitethorn not marque headlines successful the aforesaid mode hurricanes do, they tin person utmost consequences.
They are important to the West Coast. Half the rainfall and snowfall the West gets comes from atmospheric rivers, which are plumes of moisture coming successful from the Pacific Ocean. And they transverse an country with precise fewer reflection sites, making them challenging to forecast.
Until the past fewer years, forecasters had to trust solely connected satellites and forecast models for forecasting atmospheric rivers, which tin go precise muddy without genuinely knowing what’s happening wrong the storms.
But now, the University of California-San Diego, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes person teamed up with the NOAA Hurricane Hunters who are capable to driblet instruments called “dropsondes” wrong an atmospheric river, to relay pinpointed unrecorded upwind data. The accusation is instantly enactment into upwind forecast models, which improves the accuracy of the forecast dramatically.
Read much astir the hurricane hunters targeting atmospheric rivers here.
A look astatine the stats and numbers down the "most awesome tempest successful astir 20 years"
From CNN's Brandon Miller
The existent atmospheric river-fueled tempest hammering California is the astir awesome tempest successful astir 20 years, according to the National Weather Service successful Los Angeles.
Many locations saw much than a month’s worthy of rainfall successful 1 time implicit the past 24 hours. Here's what other to know:
- Santa Barbara had the rainiest January time connected grounds with 4.22 inches officially astatine the airport. This is much than a month’s worthy of rainfall successful 1 day. This was besides the fourth rainiest time of each — in astir 30,000 days of records going backmost to 1941.
- San Louis Obispo had its wettest time connected record, with 4.10 inches of rainfall totaled yesterday.
- Santa Maria recorded 3.42 inches of rainfall successful 1 day, much than the January mean of 2.74 inches. This is the third rainiest time successful much than 100 years of records.
- Bishop, California, acceptable a regular grounds and a monthly grounds with 3.02 inches of rain. This besides ranks arsenic the 5th wettest time ever recorded astatine Bishop.
Some stream rises and records:
- The Ventura River, northbound of Ventura, rose 17 feet successful 12 hours yesterday, reaching an all-time grounds crest much than 25 feet for the archetypal clip ever past nighttime astatine 10 p.m. section time. Records connected the stream spell backmost to astatine slightest 1938.
- The Salinas River, adjacent Salinas, is expected to crest much than 27 feet time afternoon, this would beryllium the 2nd highest crest successful much than 90 years of records, down lone March of 1995. Before the atmospheric stream events began successful precocious December, the stream was beneath 5 feet successful elevation.
- The Santa Ynez River, adjacent Lompoc, has risen 13 feet successful little than 24 hours and is inactive rising. At 16.9 feet, it is astatine its highest level since 2005.
Here's what California tin expect connected Tuesday
From CNN's Robert Shackelford
As a powerful storm continues to batter California, here's what the authorities tin expect connected Tuesday.
These storms are connected to the atmospheric stream that has been pouring dense rain, precocious winds and dense snowfall crossed the area.
- Flood watches stay for implicit 34 cardinal people.
- Another circular of moisture volition statesman to interaction the Bay Area and bluish California done Tuesday greeting and dispersed to each of California by the afternoon/evening.
- Expect much flash flood warnings and evacuation orders arsenic saturated crushed and dense rains leads to much wide problems.
- There are present implicit 30 cardinal radical nether a marginal menace of terrible upwind (level 1 of 5) crossed the Southwest connected Tuesday.
- Cities similar Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Long Beach and Las Vegas are each successful the menace of terrible storms done the day.
- Level 3 of 4 menace for flooding and excessive rainfall volition beryllium centered implicit the Los Angeles Basin.
- Flash flooding is apt successful galore areas successful and astir Los Angeles done overmuch of the day, tapering disconnected successful the precocious day and evening.
- The remainder of the authorities continues to spot much scattered showers and besides thunderstorms, and the flood menace continues implicit overmuch of the authorities on with dense snowfall successful the mountains.
These storms are connected to the atmospheric stream that has been pouring dense rain, precocious winds and dense snowfall crossed the area.
One weather-related decease confirmed successful San Luis Obispo County, officials say
From CNN’s Joe Sutton and Raja Razek
Authorities successful San Luis Obispo County corroborate determination has been a weather-related decease that occurred connected Monday afternoon.
A motorist died successful Avila Beach successful San Luis Obispo County successful what is being called a weather-related death, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office told CNN Monday evening.
Separately, the terrible upwind has forced authorities to suspend the hunt for a missing 5-year-old who was reported to person been swept distant successful floodwaters adjacent the Salinas River successful San Miguel, according to the sheriff's office.
Cal Fire and sheriff's deputies person been searching for the missing 5-year-old since astir 8 a.m. PT Monday.
"They suspended it for the clip being and past with the hopes that they volition beryllium capable to resume it astatine immoderate constituent successful the aboriginal — either contiguous oregon tomorrow, upwind permitting," Cipolla said.
At slightest 14 dormant from storms that person swept California implicit past fewer weeks, politician says
From CNN’s Chris Boyette
Fourteen radical person died successful the bid of storms causing wide damage, flooding and evacuations portion bringing grounds rainfalls to California implicit the past respective weeks, according to the governor’s office.
According to the National Weather Service, “the adjacent successful the seemingly ne'er ending parade of beardown bedewed Pacific systems pushes much dense precipitation crossed each of California connected Tuesday.”
Rainfall totals person reached much than a ft successful immoderate Southern California locations implicit the past 2 days
From CNN's Monica Garrett
Heavy rainfall crossed Southern California since Sunday has tallied up implicit a ft successful respective locations, peculiarly on the Ventura and Santa Barbara County mountains.
A flood informing remains successful spot for occidental Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties until 8 a.m. PT, arsenic much rainfall is expected Tuesday.
“Between 3 and 6 inches of rainfall person fallen crossed the coasts and coastal valleys with 6 to 12 inches and locally implicit 16 inches successful the foothills and mountains,” the flood informing stated. “Additional rainfall of up to 2 inches volition beryllium possible, with locally higher amounts successful thunderstorms.”
Here are the highest two-day rainfall totals (in inches) arsenic of midnight section Tuesday morning:
- Nordhoff Ridge: 16.34
- San Marcos Pass: 16.05
- Matilija Dam: 16.01
- White Ledge Peak: 15.12
- Rose Valley: 14.13
- KTYD Tower: 13.31
- Alisal Reservoir: 13.18
- El Deseo: 13.17
- Tecolote Canyon: 12.84
- Rose Valley RAWS: 12.42
Additional rainfall totals from the National Weather Service bureau successful Los Angeles tin beryllium found here.
Over 30 cardinal nether flood watches arsenic tempest menace continues for Southwest
From CNN's Nouran Salahieh and Joe Sutton
More than 34 cardinal radical were under flood watches aboriginal Tuesday aft parts of the cardinal California seashore received 1 to 1.25 inches of rainfall per hr Monday, the Weather Prediction Center said.
As of precocious Monday, 2 to 7 inches of rainfall had fallen crossed little elevations and up to 10 inches successful the mountains implicit a 24-hours period, preliminary rainfall reports showed. Montecito received a whopping 9.89 inches implicit 24 hours, portion Fillmore got 6.24 inches and Santa Barbara got 6.13 inches.
The menace isn’t implicit yet. The tempest is trekking South, shifting the hazard of mudslides, flooding and terrible storms to the Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and Las Vegas areas connected Tuesday.
CNNMore than 30 cardinal radical crossed the Southwest were nether a marginal menace of terrible upwind Tuesday.
In cardinal California, dense downpours unleashed important flooding, mudslides and debris flows, prompting calls for residents to flee.
The full assemblage of Montecito successful Santa Barbara County was ordered to evacuate Monday, on with residents successful parts of Carpinteria, Summerland and the metropolis of Santa Barbara.
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