WINDSOR, CA (AP) As California and Washington state struggle to recover from storm damage and power outages, forecasters across the United States warned that another bout of winter weather could make travel more difficult in the run-up to Thanksgiving.
Authorities in California, which is already dealing with flooding and minor landslides from a recent storm, prepared for more precipitation after a person was discovered dead in a car that was submerged in floodwaters on Saturday. After several days without power, thousands of people in the Pacific Northwest were still without it.
The state’s Sierra Nevada is under a winter storm warning for Saturday through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service office in Sacramento, California. At higher elevations, heavy snow is predicted, and wind gusts of up to 55 mph (88 kph) are possible. It was predicted that there would be about 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snowfall overall, with Monday and Tuesday seeing the largest accumulations.
According to experts, the East Coast will be most affected on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, while the Midwest and Great Lakes regions will get rain and snow on Monday.
Early Thursday, a low pressure system is expected to bring rain to the Southeast before moving on to the Northeast. Strong winds and rain are expected in areas from Boston to New York, and snowfall is predicted in regions of northern Maine, northern New Hampshire, and the Adirondacks. According to experts, the mountains may get more rain and less snow if the system moves farther inland.
West Coast deadly bomb cyclone
When the storm hit the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, two people lost their lives. Before powerful winds passed through Northern California, hundreds of thousands of people lost power, primarily in the Seattle region. On Tuesday, a fast intensifying bomb cyclone struck the West Coast, bringing with it strong winds that caused damage to homes and cars.
Around 11:30 a.m., rescue workers in Guerneville, California, found a body inside a car that was floating in floodwaters. Deputy Rob Dillon of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office stated on Saturday that although an autopsy had not yet been performed, it was assumed the body was a storm victim.
Approximately 12.5 inches (32 cm) of rain fell by Friday evening, making it the wettest three-day period on record in Santa Rosa, California, according to the Bay Area’s National Weather Service. On Saturday, adjacent Windsor, California, had flooding in its vineyards.
In the Seattle area, tens of thousands are without power.
After this season’s strongest atmospheric river—a lengthy plume of moisture that originates over an ocean and runs over land—about 80,000 people in the Seattle area were still without power.
After being without power since Tuesday, Katie Skipper’s house in North Bend, which is roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Seattle, had power again in the afternoon. She was worn out from using a generator to run the refrigerator, warming herself with a wood stove, and taking cold showers, but Skipper claimed those inconveniences were insignificant compared to the harm other people experienced, including from falling trees.
She remarked, “That’s really sad and scary.”
Precipitation is needed in the Northeast.
Another storm brought heavy snow to northeastern Pennsylvania and rain to New York and New Jersey, where uncommon wildfires have been raging in recent weeks. Following an unusually dry fall, the precipitation was predicted to help alleviate drought conditions.
Bryan Greenblatt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York, stated that while it won’t be a drought buster, it would undoubtedly be helpful once everything melts.
Northeastern Pennsylvania, particularly the Pocono Mountains, saw a lot of snowfall. Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, two valley communities, saw smaller accumulations, while higher elevations recorded up to 17 inches (43 cm). In ten counties, less than 80,000 people lost electricity.
West Virginia’s worst drought in at least 20 years was lessened thanks to precipitation, which also assisted ski resorts getting ready to open their slopes in the coming weeks.
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This article was written by Claire Rush of the Associated Press in Portland, Oregon.
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