More than 16 million people are under flood watches alone as a trio of storms bears down on California this week.

ATLANTA — Residents in California are bracing for multiple threats this week, from heavy rain and flooding that could trigger mudslides, feet of snow in the higher elevations, and even severe storms.

“We actually have at least a couple of systems that are going to be impacting California in particular, with the first system coming through today and going into the overnight hours,” said meteorologist Andrew Orrison with NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center.  “They’ll be bringing heavy rain and some pretty heavy snowfall as well.” 


Trio of storms will bring widespread hazards

Flood watches and advisories are in effect for more than 16 million people across Southern California, including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The National Weather Service says 1 to 3 inches of rain could accumulate in the coastal valleys and 2 to 5 inches in the mountains by Monday night. Forecasters warn of mudslides in vulnerable burn scar areas.

Orrison said the Transverse Ranges, including the San Gabriel, San Bernardino and Santa Monica mountains, are especially at risk. 

“Those are the areas where you do have some of these burn scars that have occurred in recent years,” he said. “And so they’re very sensitive to heavy rainfall.”


Feet of snow will make travel impossible in the mountains

A winter storm warning is in effect through Thursday morning for the eastern San Gabriel Mountains and the northern Ventura County mountains.  The NWS Los Angeles office expects several feet of heavy high elevation snow that will lead to road closures, including the Interstate 5 Tejon Pass.  

While the snow will cause travel issues, it is actually much needed in terms of the current meager snowpack, which sits at a record low of just 53 percent according to the California Department of Water Resources.  The Sierra snowpack is critically important for California’s water supply, which depends on it for agriculture and to serve nearly 40 million residents. 

“January was a very dry month across much of the Western US,” said Orrison. 


Strong winds could lead to power outages

Wind advisories are also up through Monday evening for the coasts and valleys in southwest California, where gusts up to 55 mph could lead to travel delays at Los Angeles International Airport, downed trees and power outages, according to the NWS.  

While the soggy weather will last much of the week, some of the greatest impacts are expected Monday night through Wednesday, so it is important to stay ahead of the forecast.  

“You’re going to want to just pay attention to the threat of heavy rainfall and be on alert for any warnings that come out from your local forecast office,” said Orrison. “I think in general, people just need to just be abreast of changing weather conditions and be on alert for some of these hazards.”

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