More storm to hit weather-battered California

Los Angeles, March 21

Another major storm system is set to batter California this week as scattered showers started in the southern part of the western US state.

The powerful storm will likely bring heavier rain, very strong winds and snow to the area late Monday night through Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the US National Weather Service (NWS).

High surf and hazardous seas are also expected in the Tuesday to Wednesday time frame, according to NWS Los Angeles.

California has already been hammered by at least 11 atmospheric rivers this season, which brought heavy rainfall, snowfall, flooding and landslides, among other damages.

The latest atmospheric river, which struck the state last week, left soil overly saturated and vulnerable to new flooding and rapid runoffs, according to the NWS.

An atmospheric river is a long, narrow band of tropical moisture that gets carried along mid- and upper- parts of the atmosphere. When these systems move over land, they can produce intense rainfall rates and strong winds.

Colder atmospheric river systems can also produce significant snow at higher elevations.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, atmospheric river storms account for 30 per cent to 50 per cent of annual precipitation for the US West Coast on average.