String of Storms Hitting California Due to Strongest El Niño on Record

The warm waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean associated with El Niño help intensify storm systems that slam into the Golden State.

Heavy rain was also reported in other parts of the state, forcing several roads to shut down and prompting flash flood warnings and power outages.

Elsewhere in Los Angeles County, two mountain roads will be closed today due to anticipated hazardous driving conditions.

Altogether, the storms should bring massive amounts of rain and snow to a very parched state this month, but water managers won’t be able to fully estimate this year’s snowmelt until April 1, when the snowpack is typically at its deepest. After all the talk, El Niño storms have finally lined up over the Pacific and started soaking drought-p…

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu). A man stands near crashing waves on the Pacifica Pier in Pacifica, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016.

An El Nino-driven storm is shifting out of the Los Angeles area to the east. The latest system is packing colder temperatures, stronger winds and heavier rainfall than the previous ones that have battered the state since the weekend.

People make their way across a wet street near Union Square Tuesday, in San Francisco.

Residents Carrie Osato, right, and husband Mas Osato, back pick up sandbags from the Glendora City Yard while being assisted by Glendora cadet Matt Wending, left, as Southern California prepares for the El Nino in Glendora, Calif., Monday, Jan. 4, 2016.

Additional rain expected across California through Thursday. He warned of areas of near zero visibility because of blowing snow from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday night, and gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.

The weather service warned of flooding on urban roads, as well as flash floods and mud flows that could hit areas recently ravaged by wildfires.

The National Weather Service said 1.42 inches of rain fell Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport, beating the 1979 record for the date by a tenth of an inch.

Sheriff’s deputies and outreach workers have also been combing riverbeds for the last few months seeking to persuade homeless people camping there to move into shelters or to other sites ahead of the rain and potential flooding.

“The best time to prepare is before a weather event happens, but there is still time to prepare at least a basic emergency kit for your home, your vehicle or your place of work”, said Brad Alexander, spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said swift-water rescue teams are ready to deploy, but he’d rather not use them.

“Without this maintenance, this portion of the Los Angeles River will only provide a low level of flood protection, which is especially critical under the current El Niño conditions”, supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl wrote. He was treated at a hospital for scraped feet and arms.

A strong storm was forecast for Northern California, prompting officials to issue flash flood watches for several rural areas hardly hit by last year’s wildfires.

Southbound lanes of the 101 freeway, a major roadway that runs the length of California, were also briefly closed near Santa Barbara due to mud and water, officials said.