"It's going to be insane": Bomb cyclone expected for California Christmas
Story by Chris Dodds
• 14h •
2 min read
The national weather service has issued weather warnings for virtually the entire state of California as a rapidly developing bomb cyclone forms off the coast.
Northern California looks like it will receive the worst of the storm with a strong cold front, very heavy rainfall, and a high wind watch for all of the Bay Area with potentials gusts of up to 60 mph. There could also be embedded thunderstorms and even isolated tornadoes. Unfortunately, this means thousands could be without power on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
In Southern California, massive rainfall will begin to fall with up to 7.5 inches expected in the Los Angeles area, and 3-4 inches in San Diego, as part of the atmospheric river that is coming along with the storm front from Wednesday evening until Saturday. The weather in California this week will simply be insane.
The impending storm has placed over 25 million people under a flood watch throughout the state with many residents dealing with a wide range of emotions from simple frustration, as their holiday plans are upended, to fearful as they recall extreme weather events from the past few years.
Max Hernandez, of San Diego, said, "I was planning on doing something different with my family this year, I told the kids we could go camping and fishing but this storm popped up and everywhere is under a flood watch. It's frustrating but I know I could get pretty bad in certain areas, will be praying for everyone to stay safe and out of harm's way."
It has been less than a year since the Palisades and Eaton Fires unleashed mayhem, destruction, and devastation in the LA area and many families are still dealing with the tragedy. Although fire is not in the cards for this storm, 7.5 inches of rain will pose its own set of challenges with flooding and debris.
Many low-lying areas and roadways will be flooded and the risk of landslides, especially in the areas recently ravaged by fire, will increase immensely. Residents near Pasadena, Malibu, and Pacific Palisades, have been scrambling to secure their properties.
It goes without saying that this much rain will be keeping many surfers out of the water over the holidays. For those going snowboarding, well, the mountains may have a hard time keeping up operations if the snow falls too quickly.
On behalf of the SURFER Staff, happy holidays and stay safe out there.
Related: Atmospheric Rivers, Wind Warnings Hammer California During Peak Holiday Travel Season
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 Related video: Powerful holiday storm set to arrive over Southern California (KTLA-TV Los Angeles) |
