Water Education Foundation
This is just one post in the Drought, Weather & Snowpack Category
Click here to view all posts

California holiday travelers to face deluge

Posted by: Maven on December 19, 2008 at 6:00 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

It’s going to be a stormy, stormy Christmas.

National Weather Service officials predict a tropical storm will slam Central California on Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day, bringing as much as 15 inches of rain to coastal areas and 4 inches of rain to the Sacramento Valley.

The weather service calls this type of storm an “atmospheric river,” because it draws tropical moisture in a jet across the Pacific Ocean that often targets a defined area, directing rainfall like a fire hose.

Often called by the slang term “pineapple express,” such storms have been blamed for some of California’s worst flooding events.

Because California’s reservoirs are largely empty after two years of drought, flooding on major rivers is not expected. But local creek flooding can be expected, said Dave Reynolds, meteorologist in charge at the weather service’s San Francisco regional office.

He said Californians planning holiday travels should prepare for the worst and be willing to cancel those yuletide visits if necessary.

“People should start to think. They should really pay close attention to weather reports over the weekend,” Reynolds said. “Travel’s going to be ugly Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, because it’s just going to be raining cats and dogs.”

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

December 19, 2008 · Filed Under Drought, Weather & Snowpack

Comments

Leave a Reply