#atmospheric-rivers

#atmospheric-rivers

A strong storm system that has brought relentless winds, rain and snowfall to California was expected to ease on Friday, but there was still a risk of high surf along the coast, flash flooding near Los Angeles and avalanches in the Sierra Nevada. Waves near the San Francisco Bay Area could reach up to 25ft (7.6 meters) on Friday, parts of southern California were at risk of flooding, and avalanches could hit the Lake Tahoe area, officials warned.

Described as the "western hemisphere's most sophisticated weather-observing and environmental-monitoring system," the GOES-R satellite series is capable of providing data from diverse weather phenomena. This year, it captured several images of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, which erupted from December 2024 to February 2025. In March, the lava fountain reached heights of over 1,000 feet, the highest it's been in about 50 years.

Heavy rain and flash flooding soaked roads in northern California, leading to water rescues from vehicles and homes and at least one confirmed death, authorities said. In Redding, police said they received numerous calls for stranded motorists on Sunday who tried to drive through flooded areas. One person in Redding died, Mayor Mike Littau posted online. He did not provide further information.

"We had some unseasonably warm temperatures heading into the last week," said Cole Zimmerman with Vail Resorts, Tahoe Region.