For “two or three days,” there will be no access to the Monterrey Peninsula.
The city of Salinas, on the Monterey peninsula, will be shut off “for two or three days,” according to meteorologists, who predicted that the state of California in the western United States will experience “catastrophic floods” this weekend.
This latest storm surge adds to the recent storms that have already resulted in at least 19 fatalities, as well as flooding, power outages, and landslides.
A new low pressure system arrived in the area today and poses a threat of isolating the Monterey peninsula and inundating Salinas, which has a population of 160,000, in the most populous state in the nation.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a warning that “catastrophic flooding would occur throughout the lower Salinas Valley.”
According to the Monterey County officials, Salinas residents should be prepared to “be incommunicado for two or three days” prior to the potential bottleneck based on the current weather conditions.
According to the AFP news agency, meteorologists predicted that two waves of storms would arrive this weekend and form a band stretching from northern California to the states of Oregon and Washington.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a statement stating that “the most significant precipitation will continue to be centered on the northern California and Pacific Northwest coasts through tonight, then expand south on Saturday and east on Sunday.” press.
“Heavy rainfall has hit Northern California over the past two weeks, and any more rain might present a risk of flash floods,” it continued.
The warnings are issued as the area works to recover from previous powerful storms that left 19 people dead.
Avalanche warnings will be in effect for sections of Washington state as the storm brings wetter, heavier snow to the mountains, and heavy rain is anticipated in and around Seattle in the ensuing hours.
Avalanches are expected to be “dangerous and large-scale,” according to the Northwest Avalanche Center.
Included in these are “wet snow avalanches,” which happen when heavier snow accumulates on top of lighter snow, making the entire system unstable.
According to scientists, the combustion of fossil fuels by humans is causing climate change, which is intensifying these disasters.