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The powerful bomb cyclone that reached maximum intensity over the North Pacific on Thursday afternoon marked the first of three similar events forecast for the West Coast that will extend to Los Angeles and San Diego.
That storm will continue to send additional storms unleashing nearly 2 feet of rain in some areas .
Although precipitation is much needed in the drought-affected region, it could cause severe flooding, landslides and significant threats to lives and property.
“This shower comes about a month ahead of average and will be very welcome to fight the remaining fires, particularly in Northern California,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter.
“The repeated storms that produce rain Such copious amounts will have a major effect, effectively ending the wildfire season , ”added Porter.
Wildfires have burned 1.9 million acres in California in 2021, according to the National Center Fire Department.
As of Thursday, eight of the 17 Massive fires burning in the United States were located in California.
On the other hand, the rain will come “too fast and with too much power” in some areas with rates of up to 2 inches per hour, according to Porter.
Excessive rainfall could result in flash floods and other hazards such as landslides, particularly in areas scarred from burns by wildfires that charred the ground in recent years.
An overall rainfall of 0, 50 to 1 inch will fall as far south as Los Angeles and San Diego from Monday to early morning on Mars s.
Locally higher amounts of 1-3 inches are expected over the mountains north and east of Los Angeles and east of San Diego.
Downtown Los Angeles has only received 0. 33 of an inch of rain since the start of the new season on July 1.
The average rainfall for all of October is only 0. 33 inch for Los Angeles and 0. 29 inch for San Diego.
On Friday, a wide satellite view provided a clear picture of what awaits the West Coast for the next few days.
Additional storms that have lined up over the northern Pacific Ocean are heading west the United States and each will bring different degrees of intensity and impacts, but the cumulative effects of the storms will be dramatic.
The bomb cyclone It was just the first of three storms forecast to hit the U.S. West Coast through the last Tuesday in October, according to AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
While most of the fury of the first As the storm has subsided along the Pacific coast from British Columbia, the storm managed to dump a general rainfall of 1-3 inches in the region with local amounts of 4 and 5 inches off the coast of Northern California.
Mount Tamalpais, California, collected more than 6 inches of rain from the storm as of Thursday night.
Since this second-pump cyclone is likely to form and travel further south than previous storms last week, it is expected to bring heavier rainfall and stronger winds along the west coast, attracting the deep tropical humidity of the Pacific.