Atmospheric River Brings Dangerous Storm to Los Angeles Region

The Los Angeles authorities released flooding alerts and evacuation commands because an atmospheric river brought heavy rain to burned areas at the site of past wildfires. Officials still keep the Pacific Coast Highway closed due to upcoming Southern California travel risks.

The mayor revealed her staff had set up 10,000 feet of concrete defense and 6,500 sandbags to stop mudslides from forming. The National Weather Service expects 4 inches of rain overnight along with small pieces of hail beginning early Thursday morning. High snow buildup in mountain areas will trigger blackouts across many communities in the region.

The weather system travels eastward while producing blizzard snowfall on Friday throughout the Plains States then generates intense thunderstorms across Mississippi Valley and Ohio Valley regions. The southern corners of Missouri and the eastern centers of Iowa and Illinois need to prepare for severe storms that may bring winds stronger than 70 mph and possibly tornadoes. The southern Plains are at risk of destructive fires because this storm system moves warm and dry air from the Southwest areas.