A supermoon \u2014 the closest such moon to the Earth this year \u2014 is wreaking havoc with ocean tides up and down the state\u2019s coast just as an atmospheric river storm moved through Northern California. <\/p>\n
The \u201cBeaver Moon\u201d has brought with it king tides. And forecasters say that Southern California could see dangerous rip currents and an increased risk of drowning from large breakers, as well as the chance of coastal flooding over the next two days.<\/p>\n
But the Southland will largely be spared the rain that has inundated some areas of Northern California in a storm strong enough that the state dispatched emergency services personnel in two counties. <\/p>\n
The National Weather Service office in Sacramento was forecasting the heaviest downpours in three areas, where the rain was expected to continue into Thursday afternoon. Two to three inches of precipitation was expected in Blue Canyon in the Tahoe National Forest, Quincy in the Plumas National Forest and Sims in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.<\/p>\n
San Francisco and Sacramento expected up to half an inch of rain from Wednesday into Thursday<\/a>, while Santa Rosa was expecting between a half and a full inch. <\/p>\n The rain, which began Tuesday, is expected to continue until Friday around 9 or 10 a.m., according to Sacramento meteorologist Sara Purdue. Commutes are expected to be affected, with slick roads and water ponding on roadways, according to the weather service.<\/p>\n The heaviest rain probably has already fallen, according to Purdue, \u201cthough light rain is expected to linger in Shasta County and nearby areas through Thursday and into Friday\u201d morning.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, November\u2019s supermoon was causing some flooding. The phenomenon is referred to as the \u201cBeaver Moon\u201d because it\u2019s a time when beavers build their dams and take shelter before the ground freezes, according to the Farmers\u2019 Almanac<\/a>.<\/p>\n The slightly oval shape of the moon\u2019s orbit brings it closer to Earth at certain times of the year, when it covers a slightly larger area of the sky, according to the Griffith Observatory.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes the full Moon occupies the closest point of its orbit, and that is a so-called \u2018supermoon,\u2019\u201d according to the observatory.<\/p>\n The supermoon, which was at it peak brightness on Tuesday and Wednesday at 5:19 a.m., was 221,817 miles from Earth, according to the Farmers\u2019 Almanac. Its proximity does affect ocean tides, and king tides<\/a> are forecast to peak Thursday<\/a> along the coast<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you were in outer space looking at the planet, you\u2019re going to see a slight bulge in water on one side of the planet,\u201d said Matt Mehle, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service\u2019s Monterey office. \u201cSo we end up with a slightly higher tide as a result of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Consequently, there\u2019s a high-surf impact warning from the Central Coast to Los Angeles County. There is also an increased risk of drowning from large breakers, strong rip currents and dangerous waves on rocks through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service\u2019s Oxnard office.<\/p>\n Peak surf is expected to hit 12 to 18 feet in the Central Coast, 8 to 12 feet in Ventura County and 5 to 8 feet in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties.<\/p>\n Farther north, the National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory Tuesday<\/a> that\u2019s in effect through Saturday. The advisory spans from Sonoma County to Monterey County and includes San Francisco\u2019s shoreline. <\/p>\n As of Wednesday afternoon, Coyote Creek, which flows through the Santa Clara Valley, was seeing some minor flooding due to the high tide tidal surge, according to the weather service.<\/a><\/p>\n Farther up the coast, heavy rains were expected Thursday in Del Norte County, which borders Oregon, and Humboldt County, directly below it. The two counties were also under a coastal flood advisory.<\/p>\n