Journalism of Courage
Southern California is preparing for heavier rain on Saturday after the first round of showers moved across the region on Friday, The New York Times reported.
Some neighbourhoods in Los Angeles County and Ventura County were placed under evacuation orders and warnings because the storm could trigger flash floods and mudslides, especially in areas burned by recent wildfires.
A meteorologist from the National Weather Service, Rich Thompson, told The New York Times: “The atmosphere is going to be juicier on Saturday.”
The National Weather Service said the rain and strong winds could cause delays at airports, rockslides, mudslides on canyon roads, flooded streets and rising river levels.
The storm has two phases. The first hit between Thursday night and Friday afternoon. The second phase expected to be stronger will begin late Friday and continue through Saturday.
Forecasters expect heavier and more persistent rain through the day. Thunderstorms are also possible.
Another National Weather Service meteorologist, David Gomberg, told The New York Times that the storm was carrying a narrow but concentrated band of moisture from the Pacific Ocean, known as an atmospheric river.
He said, “We think it will set up somewhere between San Bernardino County and Ventura County.”
He added that there was still uncertainty about the storm’s exact path, but this would become clearer as the day progressed.
Santa Barbara to Los Angeles County:
Orange County to San Diego County:
Southern California’s coastal mountains are positioned in a way that forces the storm’s moisture upwards, increasing rainfall.
Park Williams, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, explained to The New York Times: “The moisture will hit those mountains dead on. Those mountains act as a wall, and the water slides down the mountains and then it goes into the city.”
Burned areas are especially at risk because wildfire damage removes vegetation and hardens the soil. This makes it easier for fast-moving flows of mud, water and debris to develop.
If the system stalls over Los Angeles County on Saturday, The New York Times said it could lead to dangerous debris flows in burn zones.
