The relentless rains that began in California on Sunday (8) flooded parts of Los Angeles, killed at least 15 people across the state, and led to evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents statewide. More than 34 million people were under flood watch on Tuesday (10), as rivers continued to rise.
The National Weather Service warned that the next round of heavy rain would hit California for much of Tuesday, with storms that could bring wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour. Remote parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, north of Los Angeles, received over 16 inches of rain early Tuesday. Experts say the cost of the damage caused by the storms could reach $1 billion.
More than 30,000 residents were placed under evacuation orders on Monday in Santa Cruz County, about 70 miles south of San Francisco, as creeks and rivers overflowed, threatening homes and sweeping away at least one bridge.
The total rainfall in the coming days in many parts of California could reach an additional seven inches, as another “massive cyclone” is forming off the coast and will hit areas of Northern California to the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday, the Weather Service said.