On Friday, California was impacted by a frigid storm travelling southeast from the Gulf of Alaska. It sent Southern California into a flurry as many people were evacuated due to mudslide and avalanche warnings.
To prepare for the storm, on Thursday night, the residents of Montecito were put under a mandatory evacuation by the Santa Barbara County authorities. Due to the extreme wildfires that swept through Southern California in the late summer of 2017, the land was left unsuitable for absorbing water. This is a major cause of mudslides which kill 20 to 25 people per year in the United States. With a short but intense rainfall, mudslides are likely to occur.
On Jan. 9 the same area of Southern California was slammed by mudslides from five minutes of rain, which resulted in over half an inch of water. This mudslide killed 21 people and wiped out over 100 homes in the previously burned regions. With this previous tragedy in mind, the Santa Barbara authorities took the impending storm seriously.
Up to 30,000 people were impacted by this mandatory evacuation notice. Ingrid McCann opted not to evacuate back in January but regretted her decision. Afraid that similar natural disasters may occur, McCann decided to flee this time. “We were traumatized in January,” McCann said. “We are going to get out of here soon.”
Leading up to the storm, forecasters predicted that an inch of rain was possible with up to three inches in the mountains. Though this weather may seem common to an Iowan, it is highly unusual for Southern California. In the midst of a draught, the weather that is fearful to some brings hope for meteorologists. The precipitation levels were expected to bring the snow-water equivalent in the Sierra Nevada from 24 percent to 25 percent. The Sierra Nevada is responsible for one-third of California’s water supply.
At China Peak Mountain Resort, located in Lakeshore, California, an avalanche occurred, leading to the death of snowboarder Blake Smith and injured many others. Another avalanche led to many injuries at Squaw Valley Ski Resort along the California-Nevada border.
In Lake Tahoe, snow fell two inches per hour. Though some feared the dangers this storm could have brought, people were out the next day hitting the slopes where the fresh snow fell.
Before this snowy rain storm had hit California, the state had accumulated minimal precipitation. The state was less than a quarter where it normally is for snowfall levels for this time of year. In total, the storm brought up to five feet of snow in California, which helped to improve one of the driest wet seasons that was occuring.
