A massive storm system is approaching the San Francisco Bay Area in California, bringing with it the threat of heavy rain, high winds, and feet of snow in the Sierra region
Rain is expected to be so heavy the NWS says it’s possible that human lives will be lost during the storm
Known as the Pineapple Express, the storm is expected to rapidly intensify into what meteorologists refer to as a ‘bomb cyclone’ over the northern Pacific Ocean bringing an atmospheric river of moisture into the state
This will be the third storm in California to bring an atmospheric river since the end of December, including one on New Year’s Eve that caused severe flooding and debris flows
It is expected to hit the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday and cause devastating flooding and power outages
The West Coast is bracing for another massive storm as an ‘atmospheric river’ – a high-altitude current of dense moisture – is expected to bring drenching rains and renewed flooding to northern and central California, starting on Wednesday.
Heavy snow was also forecast to return to the Sierra Nevada mountains on Wednesday, along with coastal rain and higher-elevation snow in the Pacific Northwest.
Northern California is still recovering from a weekend Pacific storm that triggered floods, mudslides, power outages, and road closures.
