Major Atmospheric River To Hit California With ‘Life-Threatening’ Floods [Video]

A powerful atmospheric river could bring “life-threatening floods” to California, with a total storm rainfall of 12 to 16 inches in some areas.

Earlier this week, a bomb cyclone churning over the Pacific ushered in atmospheric river conditions and winds equivalent to a hurricane when it hit the Pacific Northwest, killing at least two people and wreaking havoc in Washington, Oregon, California and British Columbia in Canada.

An atmospheric river is a narrow, but long, corridor of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere, often described as a “river in the sky.” An example impacting northern California is expected to “remain relatively stationary over the next few days and produce an additional 6-12 inches of rainfall over regions with already saturated terrain,” the National Weather Service (NWS) has said.

The atmospheric river’s intensity is forecast to peak on Friday, leaving moderate bouts of rain throughout the whole day and lowering snow levels on Saturday.

“In the meantime, dangerous flooding, rock …