Northern California Faces Heavy Rain and Snow: What You Need to Know

Let's talk about the latest weather troubles in Northern California. Meteorologists predict up to 16 inches of rain through Friday, with some places like Santa Rosa already seeing 5 inches in just 24 hours. This heavy rain is part of a strong atmospheric river, a big stream of moisture, hitting the region. What's an atmospheric river? It's like a long, narrow stream of water vapor that can bring heavy rain or snow. This one is the most powerful one California and the Pacific Northwest have seen this season. With all this rain and snow, there are some serious risks. Flash flooding, rockslides, and even debris flows are possible. Some small landslides have already happened, like one on Highway 281 that caused a car crash.The weather service in the Bay Area warned people to expect heavy rain to continue, leading to mudslides and road closures. They're focusing on the North Bay area. This storm system is also known as a "bomb cyclone, " which is when a cyclone gets much stronger very quickly. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, there could be up to 15 inches of snow, and winds might reach 75 mph. In Washington, the storm caused a lot of power outages, with nearly 376, 000 homes losing electricity. Two people sadly died when trees fell on them. Schools in Seattle closed, and some stayed closed on Thursday. In California, there were about 21, 000 power outages. A part of Interstate 5 was closed due to bad weather, and flights at San Francisco International Airport were delayed or canceled.