Weather & Science
California’s Newsom Seeks Federal Disaster Declaration as Rivers Swell
- President Biden declares emergency as atmospheric river hits
- Warm rains melt recent snows, with another storm due next week
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A deadly rainstorm thrashing California has forced homeowners to flee rising rivers, closed roads, caused at least two deaths and prompted President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency.
Intense wind and rain toppled trees, crushing cars and pulling down power lines. The first of two back-to-back storms — atmospheric rivers that draw warm, moist air from far out over the ocean — struck as California struggles to recover from months of extreme weather. The drenching rains threaten to melt lingering snow from a February blizzard that buried mountain towns, elevating risks of overflowing rivers.