Parched Northern California Prepares For Mammoth 'Atmospheric River'

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The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings on Saturday, October 23, for much of northern California ahead of an ‘atmospheric river’ that is expected to bring intense rainfall on Sunday.

The rainfall, brought on by a series of intense storms in the Pacific, will provide much-needed moisture to some of the areas hardest hit by California’s ongoing drought, but too much at once will brings its own set of problems, particularly in areas burned by wildfires in recent years, officials warned.

The atmospheric river, the NWS said in a tweet, will lead to “to significant and life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, particularly over burn scar areas.” Some parts of the Bay Area were already hit with several inches of rain late this week.

This satellite footage, shared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows “strong weather systems” in the Pacific on October 21 and 22. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) via Storyful