By Kay Smythe
Footage and news reports from California show how a series of recent extreme weather events have wreaked havoc on the state, and more is expected in early January.
An atmospheric river and bomb cyclone struck California in the first week of January, the second in two weeks of out-of-the-recent-norm weather events in the typically sunny state. Parts of California, such as the Bay Area and Sacramento, experienced the “wettest New Year’s Eve on record,” according to the Sacramento Bee. The outlet shared footage of a rescue on Highway 99, where four dozen motorists were reportedly trapped by floodwaters.
Along with the excessive flooding, Highway 50 to the iconic Lake Tahoe State Park had so much snow that photos of the roadway shared by Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian look fake.
Further into Tahoe, at least one family was without power as snow levels seemed to almost reach the roof of their home. Eventually power was restored, but it was impossible to see out of the windows save for a small sliver at the top where the snow hadn’t landed just yet, the footage shows.
The insanely high levels of snow pushed flood risks even further throughout the state, with meltwaters causing rushes on the American River and Bridal Falls, as well as various rescues in the still snow-laden regions, according to footage from another Sacramento Bee report.
Things don’t seem to be looking up for the region, with more extreme weather forecast for the second week in January, according to Tahoe Weather. Some four to six inches of rain may fall from a warm and wet storm, which would land on top of fresh snow, saturated ground and snowpack, Tahoe Weather predicted. This combination could lead to seriously dangerous flooding.
Huge boulders have already landed on Highway 50 roadways, which the South Lake Tahoe area explosives team subsequently blew up, according to another social media post and accompanying video of the explosions. So much for people staying in California for the weather, eh?
Kay Smythe is a News and Commentary Writer at The Daily Caller.
To read more about extreme weather and climate policy in California, click here, here, and here.