California is preparing to receive a "potentially deadly" storm this weekend, considered the "largest" of the winter so far, which threatens to cause flooding and landslides in areas that are still dealing with the accumulation of rain that fell in the week, The National Weather Service (NWS) warned this Saturday.
At least 36 million people, from Sonoma County to the Mexican border, are under alert.
The authorities called on residents to be prepared.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said the projected amount of rain is "very high" and
"life-threatening" flooding is possible for residents
.
[These are the havoc caused by the last atmospheric river in California. Another one is coming]
The snow and rain will be driven by an atmospheric river, a hose of precipitation, according to meteorologists.
This river comes from tropical climates, which is known as
the Pineapple Express
.
"All Californians in the path of the storm, especially those in Southern California, should prepare now," Governor Gavin Newsom warned in a statement on Friday.
Emily Montañez, associate director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, told the Los Angeles Times that it will likely be the "biggest storm of this winter" so far.
Water accumulations of up to 15 centimeters are expected from the rains throughout Southern California, especially in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, where some of the worst flooding is expected.
Rain will begin to fall on Saturday night and the heaviest is expected on Sunday.
"Take your precautions," Montañez encouraged.
The effects of the storm will be felt from the California border with Mexico to the northern San Francisco Bay area with rain forecast through Tuesday.
[The worst of atmospheric rivers is yet to come for California. These will be the hardest hit areas]
In addition to the rain, strong surf could contribute to coastal flooding, where the ground is still soggy from the storm that soaked the region on Thursday and increased the flow of rivers and streams.
Wind gusts of 120 kilometers per hour in mountain areas and accumulation of snow also pose a risk to communities in those areas, NWS meteorologists warned.
Ventura County issued evacuation orders Saturday for an unincorporated region in Ojai.
Authorities indicated that flooding, debris and landslides could make roads in the area impassable.
Santa Barbara County issued warnings for two areas, residents should be ready to evacuate if notified, the county said in a statement.
Flood alerts cover the coast of Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, and the entire Southern California coast, from Saturday until the end of the weekend.
[How the 'mountain effect' works that worsens storms in California (where it will rain a lot)]
The Center for Western Meteorology and Water Extremes at the University of California, San Diego, predicted that the atmospheric river will reach level 3, described as "strong," on its scale of 1-5, similar to that used to measure hurricanes, and that There is a 40% chance of flash flooding on the central coast.
At least 8,300 state workers are prepared to respond to emergencies and storm-related damage, Newsom's office said.
"Many highways will be completely flooded. Many downed trees and power outages. There is still time to prepare," warned the National Weather Service in Los Angeles on the X social network.
The mayor of Los Angeles assured that they are preparing for severe flooding and asked the population to "when in doubt, stay home."
With information from
NBC News
and EFE.