Evacuation orders were issued yesterday (Tuesday) for parts of Northern California ahead of the arrival of a significant storm to the coast.
Areas where there were fires in the past are the first areas called to evacuate due to the fear of flooding and mudslides.
The governor of California declared a state of emergency due to the storm - the second to hit the state in a week.
According to the forecasters, the storm will turn into a "cyclone bomb" and is expected to claim victims.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood warning and high wind warning for the entire Bay Area in northern California, adding that power outages due to downed trees should be expected.
A warning was also issued regarding the possibility of the North Fork Dam overflowing.
The service advised those living below the dam to "move to higher ground immediately".
"Simply put, this will be one of the strongest systems we've encountered in a long time," the NWS said.
"The effects are expected to include floods, flooded roads, mudslides in the hills, falling trees, widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and worst of all, loss of human life. This is a brutal storm. It must be taken seriously."
Heavy rain and strong winds (Photo: GettyImages)
Storm warnings (Photo: GettyImages)
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A bomb cyclone is a storm that strengthens with extraordinary speed.
It is more common along the east coast of the United States and Canada.
An evacuation order was also issued for Santa Cruz County, south of San Francisco.
In Santa Barbara County, further south, residents were ordered to leave the area - including the Montecito community where Harry and Meghan and Oprah Winfrey live.
Schools were closed in Northern California.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he declared a state of emergency to "allow the state to respond quickly as the storm unfolds."
Sandbags are spread in San Francisco to prevent floods (Photo: GettyImages)
A year ago, California witnessed one of the driest years in history.
On Saturday, San Francisco experienced its second wettest day in 170 years.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the city was "preparing for war" and ordered sandbags to be placed across the city.
Rivers along the coast are expected to overflow amid estimates that 15 cm of rain will fall combined with winds of 128 km/h.
Overall, more than 105 million people across the United States are at risk of extreme weather, according to the NWS.
In the eastern United States, 30 million people face major storms and tornadoes.
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