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Mudslides, Floods, Rain, Howling Winds, 10 Feet Of Snow: California Braces For Powerful, Dangerous Storm

With the polar vortex in full retreat, the USA’s wildest weather shifts to the West.

The dangerous cold and heavy snow that hobbled the northern U.S. this week wreaked plenty of havoc – with estimates as high as 24 dead – but a new form of deadly weather could be on the way. A powerful, dangerous rainstorm is forecast to batter the western United States over the next couple of days, especially California.

Heavy rain could trigger mudslides, rockslides and floods, while feet of snow will bury the mountains, the National Weather Service warned.

Forecasters say rain will arrive in the north late Friday afternoon and reach southern California late in the night, and last through Saturday night. A flash flood watch was in effect for millions of people in the Los Angeles area, where as much as a half-foot of rain could fall.

Flash flooding and debris flows will be a concern particularly near burn scar areas. “Southern California residents, in or below the recently burned areas, are urged to take the steps necessary to protect their property,” the weather service said.

“If you are in Southern California & live near a recent wildfire burn scar, take the incoming storm extremely seriously,” tweeted UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain.

As the storm approaches, the biggest priority will be to keep people out of harm’s way, said Craig Sap, district superintendent of California State Parks. People may see a fire coming, but a debris flows gives little or no warning, he said. “If a hillside lets loose, there’s nothing you can do.”

The weather service in Los Angeles warned that “in addition to the heavy rain potential with this storm, the very strong southerly winds could be an equally concerning impact with this storm system.” The storm “could bring one of the strongest south-southeast wind events we have seen in recent years.”

The strong winds can bring down trees and cause power outages.

Up to 10 feet of snow could fall in the Sierra Nevada, where “travel is highly discouraged.” Winter storm warnings were in effect for hundreds of miles of mountainous regions of California, all the way from the Oregon border to north of Los Angeles.

“While the snow will be a further boost in the snowpack and add to the tremendous bases of snow at the ski resorts, it will lead to major travel disruptions,” AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.

Tropical Storm Xavier Brushes Mexican Coast With Wind, Rain

Tropical Storm Xavier is bringing heavy rains and gusty winds to Mexico’s central Pacific coast, though it’s expected to head out to sea and avoid a direct hit on land.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm was centered about 130 miles (205 kilometers) west-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, on Monday morning and was headed northwest at 3 mph (6 kph). Tropical-storm-force winds extended as far as 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the center.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph), but is expected to start to weaken.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 kilometers)

Forecasters say it’s likely to bring 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 centimeters) of rain to parts of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states.

Outer Bands Begin Lashing North Carolina Coast With Winds, Rain

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The big slosh has begun, and the consequences could be disastrous.

Hurricane Florence’s leading edge battered the Carolina coast Thursday, bending trees and shooting frothy sea water over streets on the Outer Banks, as the hulking storm closed in with 105 mph (165 kph) winds for a drenching siege that could last all weekend.

Forecasters said conditions will only get more lethal as the storm pushes ashore early Friday near the North Carolina-South Carolina line and makes its way slowly inland. Its surge of ocean water could cover all but a sliver of the Carolina coast under as much as 13 feet, and days of downpours could dump more than 3 feet of rain, touching off severe flooding.

Florence’s winds weakened as it drew closer to land, dropping from a peak of 140 mph (225 kph) earlier in the week, and the hurricane was downgraded from a terrifying Category 4 to a 2.

But North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned: “Don’t relax, don’t get complacent. Stay on guard. This is a powerful storm that can kill. Today the threat becomes a reality.”

Forecasters said that given the storm’s size and sluggish track, it could cause epic damage akin to what the Houston area saw during Hurricane Harvey just over a year ago, with floodwaters swamping homes and businesses and washing over industrial and farm waste sites.

“It truly is really about the whole size of this storm,” National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said. “The larger and the slower the storm is, the greater the threat and the impact – and we have that.”

Schools and businesses closed as far south as Georgia, airlines canceled about 1,200 flights and counting, and coastal towns in the Carolinas were largely emptied out.

Around midday, Spanish moss blew sideways in the trees as the winds increased in Wilmington. Some of the few people still left in Nags Head on the Outer Banks took photos of angry waves topped with white froth. By early afternoon, utilities reported about 12,000 homes and businesses were already in the dark.

Wilmington resident Julie Terrell was plenty concerned after walking to breakfast past a row of shops fortified with boards, sandbags and hurricane shutters.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m probably a 7” in terms of worry, she said. “Because it’s Mother Nature. You can’t predict.”

More than 1.7 million people in the Carolinas and Virginia were warned to evacuate over the past few days, and the homes of about 10 million were under watches or warnings for the hurricane or tropical storm conditions.

Duke Energy Co. said Florence could knock out electricity to three-quarters of its 4 million customers in the Carolinas, and outages could last for weeks. Workers are being brought in from the Midwest and Florida to help in the storm’s aftermath, it said.

As of 2 p.m., Florence was centered about 110 miles (180 kilometers) southeast of Wilmington, its forward movement slowed to 10 mph (17 kph). Hurricane-force winds extended 80 miles (130 kilometers) from its center, and tropical-storm-force winds up to 195 miles (315 kilometers).

Scientists said it is too soon to say what role, if any, global warming played in the storm. But previous research has shown that the strongest hurricanes are getting wetter, more intense and intensifying faster because of human-caused climate change.

Florence’s weakening as it neared the coast created tension between some who left home and authorities who worried that the storm could still be deadly.

Frustrated after evacuating his beach home for a storm that was later downgraded, retired nurse Frederick Fisher grumbled in the lobby of a Wilmington hotel several miles inland.

“Against my better judgment, due to emotionalism, I evacuated,” said Fisher, 74. “I’ve got four cats inside the house. If I can’t get back in a week, after a while they might turn on each other or trash the place.”

Authorities pushed back against any suggestion the storm’s threat was exaggerated.

The police chief of a barrier island in Florence’s bulls’-eye said he was asking for next-of-kin contact information from the few residents who refused to leave.

“I’m not going to put our personnel in harm’s way, especially for people that we’ve already told to evacuate,” Wrightsville Beach Police Chief Dan House said.

Some of those who are getting out of the way of Hurricane Florence and landing in Chicago.

Many passengers were relieved to make it into Chicago just before the airports in the southeast started shutting down Wednesday night. They were sending thoughts and prayers to their friends and family back home.

Many passengers flew to Chicago to be with relatives while they wait out the storm.

They described the panic back home to stock up on supplies, the long lines for gas… and their concerns that that they will be returning back home to damage and destruction.

“Me and my friends were out there shopping for groceries and water,” said Harshil Patel. “Everything running out from the stores.”

“I feel great being up here out of it, but I worry about all the family and friends back home,” said Teresa Moore, who lives in Raleigh.

And help is on the way from the Chicago-area at the request of FEMA. A group of paramedics and several ambulances from Elite Medical Transportation are in North and South Carolina to help with the evacuations.