El Nino Storm In California The Strongest Ever? National Weather Service To Issue A Flash-Flood Watch?
The El Nino effects causing a string of storms in California this week- The strongest on record putting a dent in the state's five-year-old drought.
Back-to-back storms in the Pacific have been threatening the West for more than a couple of weeks now. This could be due to the El Nino weather system that is tied with the strongest ever on record. Storms have drenched California with 1.42 inches of rain (as reported by the National weather service) breaking a daily record set in 1979. Santa Monica received 1.5 inches of rain and Malibu 1.76 inches of rain. Two more storms are predicted for this week, which could bring 3 inches of rain, causing the National weather service to issue a flash-flood watch in California.
"This week's storms will help but will not end drought conditions in California," USA TODAY cited.
"The bigger reservoirs in California are still running well below normal historically, even given the good storms and precipitation totals they've seen" said Michael Anderson, the climatologist of the state of California. (The heavy rain brings a double-edged sword: the likelihood of floods and landslides in parts of the state, 97.3% of which is experiencing drought.)
NBC News cited that NBC Los Angeles reported a voluntary evacuation order was in place in the Silverado canyon area of Orange County over mudslide fears. In los angeles, the fire department has rescued a dog that was trapped in high waters in the West ills. In Arcadia, east of Los Angeles, a portion of boulevard was closed after floodwaters spilled on the street.
The El Nino effect is triggered when winds in the pacific weaken or reverse its direction, thereby resulting in a warming up of the ocean waters in the central and eastern pacific region, especially along the equator. Clouds and storms follow the warm water, shifting jet streams and paths of storms around the world.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric administration announced this week that the current El Nino has now tied the strongest previous records. But it appears to have peaked now. The strength of an El Nino is measured by sea-surface water temperatures in the pacific and from octover to December 2015, water remperatures were 2.3 degrees celcius.
The El Nino effect, reaching its peak, is expected to bring storms in California, creating a great impact in the near future.
