New El Nino storm moves into California

Rain drops bead on a auto window below the Golden Gate Bridge Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Sausalito, Calif. El Nino storms lined up in the Pacific, promising to drench parts of the West for more than two weeks and increasing fears…

Residents Trina Gonzalez, left, and Todd Peterson stockpile…

The phenomenon warms waters in the equatorial Pacific and changes weather patterns, sending more storms to California, particularly Southern California.

Several El Niño storms are expected to hit California in the coming weeks, but experts warn that the rainfall will not be enough to help the region recover from a historic drought.

Los Angeles County officials pointed out they were having a hard time at securing funds for flood control and the removal of debris from the river.

Rainfall totals varied across the area, with the National Weather Service reporting around 1.7 inches over the past 24 hours in Newhall, 1.9 inches in Griffith Park, 1.4 inches at Los Angeles International Airport, 2 inches in Alhambra and San Gabriel and north of Pasadena. “On Thursday, there’s a chance of rain as well but it should be lighter”.

“A parade of strong Pacific storms characteristic of a strong El Nino event will batter the state this week and will likely bring damaging flooding by the time the second storm in the series rolls through on Wednesday”, said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private Weather Underground.

Officials say the San Francisco Municipal Railway has shut down all cable cars in the city due to rainy weather caused by a powerful El Nino storm.

That El Niño everyone’s been talking about – the big one likened to Godzilla and prayed for as a cure to California’s drought?

Socha is among uncounted Californians trying to protect their property after the first El Nino storms descended on California this week and brought wet, windy weather to an area stretching all the way to the Gulf Coast.

Voluntary evacuations were temporarily in place for homes in the Camarillo’s Springs Fire burn area Tuesday morning, and a flash-flood warning was issued for Ventura County’s Solimar Fire area, and L.A. Counties Colby, Williams and Cabin fire areas. “The heaviest rain is from Los Angeles to San Diego where locally 3-5” is possible, and the mountains can expect two to four feet of snow to fall.

California has suffered four years of drought which has cost the state’s agricultural economy almost two billion dollars.

A kite surfer makes use to the windy conditions during the rainy weather. Shuttles were available to shelters that had room for as many as 6,000 beds, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.

Meanwhile, in the southern part of the state, flash floods are expected to strike areas that were affected by wildfires last summer and fall. Garcetti said police are prepared to temporarily detain homeless people illegally camped in and near the Los Angeles River who are in danger but refuse to move.

The storms are whipped up large ocean swells that could generate hazardous breaking waves at west-facing harbors.