Tuesday March 12, 2024
San Francisco Chronicle —
A powerful winter storm buried the Sierra last weekend, with wet weather continuing for days in the Bay Area and Central Coast. Thunderstorms Wednesday drenched Salinas, dropping an entire inch in just 25 minutes.
After historic weather last year, intense California storms have persisted this winter, with strong downpours causing widespread flooding in San Diego and damaging landslides in places like Los Angeles.
Many ingredients contribute to extreme storm activity, but scientists agree that climate change is already amping up winter rains — and may bring even wilder weather in the future.
A historic storm stalled over Southern California earlier this winter, dropping more than 7 inches of rain on downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 4 and 5, its third-highest two-day total going back to 1877. Some places in the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains logged more than a foot of rain over 3 days. Downpours produced widespread flooding and mudslides.