A strong storm that crossed northern California on Thursday caused two deaths, toppled trees, dropped heavy snow and record amounts of rain, after damaging homes and cutting off electricity to hundreds of thousands of people.
Meteorologists warned of the risk of flash floods and rockslides in this region of the northwest Pacific Ocean, forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights to and from San Francisco airport.
Em Washington, more than 320,000 people — most of them in the Seattle area — remained without power Thursday as crews worked to clear streets of power lines, fallen branches and debris.
Utility officials said the Power cuts could last until Saturday.
O extended the flood warning for areas north of San Francisco until Saturday, as the region was flooded by the strongest atmospheric river – a long, wide cloud of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows across the sky over land – so far this season.
However, in East Coastwhere there were rare wildfires, New York and New Jersey received much-needed rain that could mitigate fire danger for the rest of the year.
The storm system made landfall on Tuesday as a “bomb cyclone”unleashing winds that toppled trees and left two people dead in Washington.
Washington communities have begun opening warming centers with free internet and device charging. Several medical clinics remained closed, forcing appointments to be rescheduled.
“I’ve been here since the mid-80s. I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Trish Bloor, who serves on the City of Issaquah’s Human Resources Commission, as she inspected the damaged homes.
It is expected that cspace up to about 40 centimeters per square meter in southwestern Oregon and northern California counties through Friday. Sonoma County Airport, in the wine country north of San Francisco, received 17.5 centimeters of rain on Wednesday, breaking a record dating back to 1998.
In nearby Forestville, one person was injured when a tree fell on a home. Small landslides have been reported in California’s North Bay region, including one on State Route 281 on Wednesday that caused a car accident, according to Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the weather service.
The rain has eased a little, but will return, with greater persistence and heavier on Friday morning, indicated the meteorological service office in San Francisco on the social network X.
Authorities have warned of the danger of flash floods, rockslides and debris flows, especially on slopes loosened by recent wildfires.
