‘Atmospheric river’ blankets over California, governor declares emergency 

Severe weather struck California on Sunday, with heavy rainfall and hurricane-force winds affecting a wide area. A phenomenon known as an atmospheric river. Power outages impacted 750,000 customers, and there’s a looming threat of significant floods. 

An atmospheric river is a huge stream of moisture in the air, traveling hundreds of miles from the Pacific to the land. It then brings heavy rain or snow. 

Sometimes, it looks like a long line of wispy clouds that can stretch for miles. 

Some of these rivers are gentle and helpful, bringing much-needed rain or snow to support water supplies and play a vital role in the worldwide water cycle.

Meteorologists predict the storm to linger over major cities for the next day or two, heightening concerns about potential damage and disruptions.

The National Weather Service’s Bay Area office issued a warning about hurricane-force winds for Big Sur and nearby places.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for eight counties with over 20 million people. Also, warnings about flash floods were issued for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

“This has the potential to be a historic storm, severe winds, thunderstorms, and even brief tornadoes,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told a news conference.

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California Los Angeles, said in a live stream on Sunday, “The Monday evening commute is going to be a complete disaster, to say the least. In fact, it’s going to be bad enough that I would recommend everybody stay home in L.A. if we possibly can.”