'Dangerous' and 'life-threatening': Flooding, snow expected in California as atmospheric river arrives
Friday updates: Read the latest weather news here.
A potent storm is forecast to batter parts of California with heavy rain and snow over the next few days, which will bring flooding to a state already digging out from previous storms.
"California now has a high risk for flooding with the next atmospheric river," said Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Bettes. "This is likely to be a very dangerous and life-threatening event."
A flood watch is in effect for millions of people across the state, the National Weather Service said. The storm was forecast to dump heavy rain over the state's lower elevations and snow at higher elevations.
A winter storm warning was also in effect for portions of northern and central California, where some areas in the Sierra Nevada were expecting up to 6 feet of snow and winds to gust as high as 80 mph.
Other parts of the state aren’t expecting as much snow, though some mountainous areas in Shasta County, California, could see snow accumulations of up to 2 feet and winds as high as 45 mph.
CALIFORNIA STORM: More snow, heavy rains in California could mean roofs caving in
What is an 'atmospheric river'? These rivers of water vapor can extend thousands of miles.
What is a flash flood watch or warning? Here's what to know about this deadly weather hazard
Flood watch reaches into Southern California
A flood watch was in effect beginning Thursday and extending into the weekend across a swath of the Golden State, from parts of Northern California to the San Francisco Bay Area and south to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
Runoff could lead to flooding of rivers and streams, as “a slow-moving atmospheric river storm system will result in many hours of steady moderate to heavy rain,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned.
What is an atmospheric river? They're streams of water vapor that can extend thousands of miles from the tropics to the West Coast, fueling rain and snowstorms that may cause flooding.
The weather service warned that people “in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action" and warned people to not cross flooded roadways.
Snow for north-central U.S.
Meanwhile, to the east on Thursday, a separate winter storm brought travel-disrupting snow to a large swath of the north-central U.S., all the way from Montana to Illinois.
Most areas were expecting under 6 inches of snow by the time the storm winds down, though parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa could see up to 9 inches of snow and gusty winds.
AccuWeather meteorologists said upcoming wintry weather in the area isn’t expected to turn into a major storm, but it could bring flight delays to Chicago, Detroit, and other area airports.
That storm will slide further to the east by Friday, bringing snow from Michigan to New York State and Pennsylvania, the National Weather Service said.
Updates from Wisconsin: Lakeshore counties are now under winter storm warning as 5-9 inches of snow are expected
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Snow, flooding in California from winter storm: Weather forecast
