California: Threat of flooding across the state

The initial wave of consecutive atmospheric rivers soaked California on Thursday, causing roadways to flood from heavy rainfall.

After initially impacting the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday, leading to the suspension of cable car service, the storm shifted its intensity towards the southern and eastern regions of the state. By Thursday, the heavy rains reached Southern California, disrupting the morning commute.

- Confidence is increasing for another impactful storm system to move through Sunday into Monday. We can read about it in a statement on the National Weather Service’s Bay Area Twitter.

The heaviest rainfall from the storm battered the Marin Headlands and the coastal mountains north of the Bay Area, where several locations received over 4 inches of rain. In San Francisco, the 2.35 inches of rainfall contributed to surpassing the city's seasonal averages despite a relatively slow start to the season.

The storm's arrival brought flooding streets, traffic disruptions, and a rare occurrence of lightning over San Francisco Bay, along with high surf battering the coastline and strong winds uprooting tall trees onto roads.

As a measure of safety, the operation of San Francisco’s cable cars was suspended. Additionally, the coastal city of Pacifica in San Mateo County experienced a downpour exceeding an inch (2.5cm) within just an hour.

California officials are now preparing for the coming storm.

Source: The Guardian, CNN, Associated Press