Power outages and mudslides as deadly flood sweeps through waterlogged state

Power outages, school closures, landslides, flooding, evacuations rank fifth in deadly storms caused by atmospheric rivers is hitting California, and residents and officials are struggling to cope with the deluge. Residents across the state faced weather warnings and advisories Tuesday.

National Weather Service forecasters warned of “torrential rain, widespread flooding, rapidly rising water, mudslides and mudslides with possible debris flows, heavy mountain snow and gusty winds” as up to a foot of rain fell in some communities. The state’s rainfall totals over the past few weeks have been 400-600% above average, according to the service.

Service office in Sacramento warned funnel clouds and brief tornadoes are possible as thunderstorms move across the region Tuesday afternoon, while his office in Los Angeles said inches of rain per hour in the district.

And meteorologists warned that a new storm is on the way.

“Moderate to heavy rain will continue across much of California this evening, while several more feet of snow is possible along the Sierra Nevada.” the weather service reportedwith another atmospheric river headed for Northern California on Wednesday.