A
"cyclonic bomb"
swept through California on Wednesday, January 4, bringing strong winds and torrential rains that could cause flooding in several areas where the ground is already saturated with water from other recent storms.
Northern California, especially around San Francisco and Sacramento, is the region most at risk.
The authorities issued multiple alerts and warned that this storm was capable of killing people.
According to the US Weather Service (NWS), winds likely to reach 110 km / h are expected on Wednesday.
Very intense rains are also expected to hit the area, with up to 10 centimeters of precipitation expected in San Francisco Bay and 1.2 meters of snowfall in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The deluge is expected to continue Thursday.
The region must prepare for
"major flooding, submerged roads, landslides, falling trees, large power outages, immediate disruption of trade and worst, probable loss of life"
, according to the NWS.
Read alsoIn California, a driver suspected of having deliberately thrown himself off a cliff, with his family on board
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday morning to facilitate the emergency response and streamline the reaction of authorities in the event of an incident.
San Francisco has it set up an emergency operations center.
"If you have no obligations to be outdoors in San Francisco, avoid going out on the road
," warned Rachel Gordon, an official with the city's public works department.
Bars and restaurants there remained closed on Wednesday and some residents were asked to work from home.
City firefighters reported several falling trees Wednesday morning and some minor flooding, before the heart of the storm arrived.