An atmospheric river storm has swept through California, leaving at least seven people dead and causing widespread flooding and disruption. Among the victims was a seven-year-old girl who was swept into the ocean by waves estimated at up to 20ft at a state beach on Friday. Her father, 39-year-old Yuji Hu of Calgary, Alberta, died trying to save her.
In northern California's Sutter County, a 71-year-old man died after his vehicle was swept off a flooded bridge. Further south, off the coast of San Diego, a wooden boat believed to be carrying migrants from Mexico capsized in stormy seas, leaving at least four dead and four hospitalised.
The storm, which began drenching the San Francisco Bay Area last Wednesday night, brought record rainfall to downtown Los Angeles, surpassing the previous November record set in 1985. Lingering thunderstorms on Monday continued to pose a risk of mudslides in areas recently ravaged by wildfires in Los Angeles County.
The National Weather Service warned that due to the abundant rainfall over the past few days, it would not take as much rain to cause additional flooding or rockslides. Rain is expected to continue through Tuesday, with another storm forecast to arrive on Thursday.
Flooding was reported in the Palm Springs area and throughout the Coachella Valley desert region. More than 4in of rain fell over coastal Santa Barbara County, while parts of the Sierra Nevada received over a foot of snow. The storm, fuelled by warming oceans amid the climate crisis, highlights the increasing intensity of such atmospheric river events.
