Flood warnings “remain in effect for both central and coastal California regions through Friday morning,” according to the US Weather Service.
Several flood warnings were still in effect on Thursday in California, after the passage of a violent storm which deprived tens of thousands of people of electricity killing at least two people, and likely to be followed by other depressions according to meteorologists.
The central and northern part of the state was hit by a storm that generated gusts measured up to 160 km / h in places and brought torrential rain. The phenomenon caused numerous floods, cut roads and deprived up to more than 190,000 homes of electricity, according to the PowerOutage site.
At least two people died, including a toddler who was in a mobile home crushed by a tree. This storm swept through California as the region was still suffering from a series of severe lows that swept through it in late December.
A new rainy episode this weekend
The rain was beginning to subside on Thursday but authorities continued to urge caution. Other rain fronts are expected in the next few days and the soggy soils are unable to absorb this surplus.
The US Weather Service predicts a next rainy episode over northern California and southwestern Oregon as early as Friday evening. “Additional rainfall in the range of 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2cm)…could exacerbate the risk of flooding across a fully saturated region,” he warns.
Several episodes of heavy rainfall could hit California through mid-January, according to the NWS.
