Severe atmospheric river brings flood risk to California: Live updates

The Weather Prediction Center warned that dangerous, potentially life-threatening flooding is expected in parts of central and southern California today.

The center issued a rare Level 4 of 4 risk for heavy rainfall for Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Oxnard on Sunday. A more widespread Level 3 threat exists in most coastal areas of California, including San Francisco, where the National Weather Service also issued the first-ever warning of hurricane-force winds for the region.

In Central and Southern California, rainfall totals are expected to range widely from 3 to 6 inches — the equivalent of more than a month's rain for most people. Los Angeles averages just 2.99 inches of rainfall in February, the wettest month of the year on average. In the mountains and foothills of Southern California, the weather service expects up to a foot of rain.

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned that several days of rain could be dangerous and life-threatening. It could cause widespread road flooding and large amounts of debris to flow over areas previously burned in wildfires, potentially causing mudslides in higher terrain. Tables and tables will rise.

Putting this rare warning into context: It is difficult to underscore the size of the deal and how rare a Level 4 “High Risk” alert is. They are released on less than 4% of days per year on average, but are responsible for more than 80% of all flood-related damage and 39% of all flood-related deaths.

The event is part of an atmospheric river: a plume of moisture pumping off the Pacific Ocean, fed by warmer-than-average waters.

Dr. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist known for his work on extreme western events, points out that heavy rain events like the one unfolding are becoming 10% more intense thanks to more fuel from a warmer climate.