A vehicle is making its way down Wilson Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga, California, as it begins to snow. Bild: dpa
Blocked roads, flooding, freezing temperatures and power outages have paralyzed life in parts of the west coast state. A blizzard warning was issued for parts of California for the first time.
A rare winter storm hit the actually sun-drenched US state California brought a lot of snow and rain. Blocked roads, floods, freezing temperatures and power outages paralyzed life in parts of the west coast state. Around 79,000 customers in California were without power on Sunday night (local time), according to the website “poweroutage.us”. While it occasionally snows even in the warmer parts of Southern California, a blizzard of this magnitude is not uncommon.
For the first time in decades, there was also a blizzard warning for parts of the US state. This is what violent snowstorms with severe temperature drops are called in North America. Snow-covered roads and mountains might be seen on TV images. According to the media, the snow fell meters high in some regions. Some used the winter weather for sleigh rides. Snow fell even in unusual places: near the famous “HollywoodThe weather service reported on Twitter that snow or at least sleet was sighted on Friday.
Warnings for thunderstorms and avalanches
In other parts of the state, torrential rain caused problems: In the metropolis of San Diego, two people were rescued who were stuck on a flooded street, as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. In other parts of the state, rescue workers also came to the aid of people in need, especially the homeless. According to the media, the storm brought record-breaking amounts of rain and floods. A flood warning was in effect at one point.
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The West Coast’s main north-south freeway, Interstate 5, was partially closed. Yosemite National Park, regarding 300 kilometers east of San Francisco, also announced on its website that the park would remain closed until Wednesday due to “severe winter conditions”. The Weather Service continued to warn of heavy rain and thunderstorms in parts of Southern California on Saturday. In other regions there was an avalanche warning. The low will move further south over the weekend and then move to the east of the country, it said.