Heavy Rainfall Prompts Road Closures in California

NASA Satellite Captures Before & After Photos of California Flooding Amid Bomb Cyclone

For decades, California has been steeped in a historic drought, one that has quickly lead to increasingly dangerous wildfires. Amid relentless drought conditions, an atmospheric river event caused by a fast-moving bomb cyclone has descended on the Golden State. As severe weather continues to batter all regions of California, a NASA satellite has captured before and after photos revealing the effects of brutal flooding.

Newsweek reports that the two satellite photos were taken on December 16th, 2022, and January 3rd, 2023. The satellite’s before and after photos of California show just how badly coastal water levels have risen and pushed flooding inland since the storms began. The after photo captures what looks like ocean waves rolling in and slamming into the coastal state.

Elsewhere on the map, smaller bodies of water and low-lying spaces are filled with floodwaters. Meanwhile, if you look toward the east, previously snow-barren mountainscapes are now completely blanketed.

Per the news outlet, San Francisco, one of California’s most iconic cities, was inundated with flooding on New Year’s Eve. In total, the Bay Area National Weather Service recorded that 5.46 inches of rain fell in a single day in San Francisco. Rapid rainfall made it the city’s second-wettest day in recorded history. Experts began keeping rainfall records in 1849. The recent flooding is only capped by a 1994 storm that left San Francisco drowning in 5.54 inches of rain.

In other regions of the state, roads have been completely overrun with floodwaters. In addition, some rural communities have even been evacuated. Sadly, officials in Sacramento have recorded at least one fatality—an apparent drowning victim—after the individual became trapped in a submerged car near Highway 99.

Bomb Cyclone Slinging Atmospheric Rivers at California, Resulting in Dangerous Flooding

Although experts continue to record mass rainfall in California, it appears their work will not be complete any time soon. Last week, an atmospheric river event pounded the West Coast with severe storm conditions, resulting in thousands of power outages. This week, the bomb cyclone, an area of concentrated low pressure currently lingering over the Pacific, will continue to sling atmospheric rivers at the Golden State.

The NWS said issued a statement about weather conditions on Tuesday. It read, “A potent atmospheric river will begin to impact the region Wednesday and continue into Thursday. This will bring substantial rainfall to the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Coast on top of already saturated soils.”

The weather service further warned California residents to keep a lookout for “rapid [water] rises” in area creeks, streams, and rivers as flooding ensues. Awareness regarding local flooding is important for Californians right now as the parched ground cannot take on any more rain.

Though rain continues to drench all areas of California, the moisture-starved ground has rapidly absorbed all the water it can. As such, there is nowhere else for floodwaters to go. Therefore, they’ve begun to run into urban streets, posing a very real risk for flash flooding in heavily populated regions. Meteorologists are warning impacted residents to remain alert as, per the outlet, flooding results in more deaths per year in the U.S. than any other natural disaster, including tornadoes, hurricanes, and lightning.