Storms hit California hard, bringing heavy snow and rain

A final round of storms has hit California. It has brought more snow and rain to the state. Already, the region is reeling from heavy snowfall, destructive flooding, and a minimum of 19 deaths.

In recent weeks, the storms have impacted the state. It flooded the communities and forced people to evacuate the place. However, the scale of the destruction is not clear. Also, people are hoping that the weather will become clear this week. At the weekend, about 25 million in California were under flood.

The Sacramento office of the NWS (National Weather Service) said that the snowfall would continue. And this heavy snowfall will continue till Monday. About 3 feet of new snow fell in California’s parts. It took place in the Sierra Nevada range.

Over 11,000 homes stayed without power on Sunday, as per surveys. The president of the United States, Joe Biden, declared the major disaster in the state. It is one of the most populous states in the nation. However, there is hope that things are going to change the coming Tuesday.

Gavin Newsom is the Governor. He told Californian citizens to stay vigilant and use common sense in the next 24-28 hours.

The scale of the damage is getting clear. It is one of the most horrific storms the nation has encountered till day. However, things are becoming clear in the state. According to the news, 19 people have already died. And a 5-year-old boy is still missing. The floodwaters have also swept the boy.

From 26th December to 9th January, California received about 6 times more rainfall than normal. In the previous week, a few areas of Santa Barbara encountered over 410mm of rain.

The storms have destroyed coastal cities like San Francisco and Santa Cruz. It has opened sinkholes. And about 1000s of homes are staying without power. The rainfall has also increased the water level over the state in the rivers.

Credits: BBC