Severe storms hitting Northern California on Thursday (11/21) triggered heavy snowfall and heavy rain, causing flooding in some areas. At least two people died and hundreds of thousands of people in the Pacific Northwest lost power.
FORESTVILLE, CALIFORNIA —
Weather forecasters warned of the continued risk of flash floods and landslides. Several flights at San Francisco airport were canceled.
In Washington, nearly 223,000 people — mostly in the Seattle area — were still without power as workers cleared roads of downed power lines, fallen trees, and debris. Public utility officials said the power outages, which began on Tuesday, could last until Saturday.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, which rarely experiences wildfires, New York and New Jersey welcomed much-needed rain to help mitigate the fire danger at the end of the year.
The National Weather Service extended flood warnings until Saturday for the northern San Francisco area as the region was flooded by the strongest atmospheric river of the season — a long plume of moisture that formed over the ocean and flowed through the sky over land.
The system made landfall on Tuesday as a “bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone rapidly intensifies. The storm unleashed strong winds that knocked down trees onto roads, vehicles, and homes, killing at least two people in the cities of Lynnwood and Bellevue in Washington.
Residents in Washington opened warming centers providing free internet and device charging. Some medical clinics closed due to power outages.
“I’ve been here since the mid-’80s. I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Trish Bloor, who works at the Issaquah Human Resources Commission, as she surveyed damaged homes.
Rainfall up to 41 centimeters was estimated to have fallen in southwestern Oregon and northern California areas by Friday.
Santa Rosa received 16.5 centimeters of rain in the last 24 hours, marking the wettest day recorded since 1998, according to Joe Wegman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
Sonoma County Airport, in the wine-producing region north of San Francisco, received over 28 centimeters of rain in the past 48 hours. Ukiah City Airport recorded about 7.6 centimeters of rain on Wednesday, and the town of Venado received about 32.3 centimeters of rain in 48 hours.
Near Forestville, one person was injured when a tree fell on a house. Small landslides were reported in North Bay, including on State Route 281 on Wednesday which caused a car accident, according to meteorologist Marc Chenard.
Daniela Alvarado said the demand for tree services run by her and her father in Sonoma County had almost tripled in the past few days, with people requesting tree trimming or removal.
“We feel sad, scared, but also ready to help,” Alvarado said.
The rain had slowed somewhat, but “heavy rain will return on Friday morning,” the San Francisco weather office said on the X social platform. “Not done yet!”
Dangerous flash floods, landslides, and debris flows may occur, especially in areas where hill slopes have become ‘bare’ due to recent wildfires, officials warned. Scott Rowe, a hydrologist from the Sacramento weather agency, said so far the ground had been able to absorb the rain in Butte and Tehama counties, where the Park Fire occurred this past summer.
“It’s not how much rain falls; it’s how fast the rain falls,” Rowe said.
Santa Rosa Fire Chief Paul Lowenthal said 100 vehicles were stranded for hours in the parking lot of a hotel and medical center after being submerged in thigh-high water from a overflowing river.
Winter storm warnings were in effect in the northern Sierra Nevada above 1,070 meters, with the possibility of up to 38 centimeters of snow over two days. Wind gusts could reach 121 kilometers per hour in mountain areas, weather forecasters said.
At Sugar Bowl Resort, north of Lake Tahoe near Donner Summit, snow fell up to 30 centimeters overnight, marketing manager Maggie Eshbaugh said on Thursday. She said the resort would welcome skiers and snowboarders on Friday (11/22), the earliest opening date in 20 years, “and then more than 30 cm of snow will fall on Saturday, amazing.”
Another popular resort, Palisades Tahoe, said it would also open on Friday, five days earlier than scheduled.
The storm had dumped over 30 centimeters of snow along the Cascades in Oregon on Wednesday night, according to the weather service.
Dozens of schools in the Seattle area were closed on Wednesday, and some chose to extend closures until Thursday.
Covington Medical Center southeast of Seattle postponed elective surgeries and diverted ambulances after a power outage forced them to rely on generators from Tuesday night to Wednesday, according to Scott Thompson, a spokesperson for MultiCare Health System. Nearby, MultiCare clinic closed on Wednesday and Thursday after a power outage.
In Enumclaw, also southeast of Seattle, residents cleaned up their town after being hit by winds reaching 119 km/h on Tuesday night.
Ben Gibbard, lead singer of indie rock bands “Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service,” drove from his home in Seattle on Thursday morning to Tiger Mountain forest for a run, which he does every day. However, fallen trees blocked the trail.
“We (in the city) are not too affected by the storm,” he said. “I didn’t expect this. Of course, we feel what people whose homes are partially destroyed are feeling.”
Washington Governor Jay Inslee thanked the hardworking officials. It may take weeks to assess the extent of the damage and estimate the cost, he said in a statement, and after that “we will know if we can request federal assistance.”
In California, there were reports of nearly 13,000 homes without power.
According to the California Department of Transportation, authorities restricted vehicle traffic on part of Interstate 5 northbound between Redding and Yreka due to snow.
Serangan Hujan di Amerika Serikat
Para pejabat di Amerika Serikat sedang berjuang menghadapi serangkaian hujan deras yang melanda negara ini. Salah satu wilayah yang terdampak adalah Avenue of the Giants, jalan yang terkenal dengan pohon-pohon redwood yang menjulang tinggi. Jalan sepanjang 3,2 kilometer ini ditutup karena banjir yang melanda daerah tersebut.
Dampak Banjir di Avenue of the Giants
Para pejabat telah menutup jalan sepanjang 3,2 kilometer di Avenue of the Giants karena banjir yang melanda daerah tersebut. Pohon-pohon redwood yang menjulang tinggi menjadi saksi bisu dari kekuatan alam yang mengamuk. Banjir ini juga menyebabkan gangguan lalu lintas dan merugikan masyarakat setempat.
Penerbangan Terhenti di Bandara Internasional San Francisco
Tidak hanya jalan raya yang terdampak, namun hujan deras juga memengaruhi sektor penerbangan. Sekitar 550 penerbangan ditunda dan puluhan penerbangan dibatalkan di Bandara Internasional San Francisco pada hari Kamis. Hal ini menyebabkan ketidaknyamanan bagi para penumpang yang harus menunggu lebih lama atau mencari alternatif transportasi.
Curah Hujan di Timur Laut Amerika Serikat
Di sisi lain, daerah-daerah yang gersang di Timur Laut Amerika Serikat mendapat berkah dengan curah hujan yang sangat dibutuhkan. Wilayah yang sebelumnya dilanda kebakaran hutan dan persediaan air yang menipis kini mendapat kesempatan untuk mendapatkan kelembaban yang mereka butuhkan. Hujan lebih dari 5 sentimeter diperkirakan turun pada Sabtu pagi di utara Kota New York, bahkan dengan campuran salju di daerah yang lebih tinggi.
Peringatan Kekeringan di Kota New York
Ahli meteorologi dari layanan cuaca Brian Ciemnecki di Kota New York mengatakan bahwa setiap curah hujan akan memiliki dampak yang signifikan. Kota New York minggu ini mengalami peringatan kekeringan pertamanya dalam 22 tahun. Meskipun hujan yang turun cukup lebat, namun badai ini tidak akan cukup untuk mengakhiri kekeringan yang melanda daerah tersebut.
Kesimpulan
Serangan hujan di Amerika Serikat telah menimbulkan berbagai dampak di berbagai wilayah. Mulai dari penutupan jalan raya hingga gangguan lalu lintas di bandara, hujan deras ini menjadi ujian bagi para pejabat dan masyarakat setempat. Namun, di sisi lain, hujan juga memberikan keberkahan bagi daerah-daerah yang sebelumnya kering dan kekurangan air. Semoga dengan adanya hujan ini, kondisi alam dan kehidupan masyarakat dapat membaik dan pulih kembali.
