California weather: Three killed as atmospheric river storm brings half a year’s rain
At least three people have died in a winter storm that has brought near-record amounts of rain and destructive mudslides to parts of California.
Two men were killed by fallen trees in Carmichael, a suburb of Sacramento, and in Boulder Creek, to the south of San Jose, as the storm lashed the west coast of the United States.
Police also launched an investigation into the death of a man who was found under a tree in his garden in Yuba City, to the northeast of San Francisco.
The storm was the second so-called Pineapple Express weather system, or atmospheric river storm, to hit the state in the past week.
A garage door in Studio City, California, is damaged by the storm. Pic: AP
An SUV sits buried by a mudslide in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles. Pic: AP
A car is damaged by debris. Pic: AP
On Monday, virtually all of southern California was under flash flood warnings, including the Los Angeles area, where up to 25.4cm (10in) of rain had fallen, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
At one measuring station in downtown Los Angeles, 17cm (6.7in) of rain had fallen by Monday afternoon – nearly half the yearly average of 36cm (14.25in).
The NSW said that, across two days, it was the third-wettest period in more than 140 years.
“We’re talking about one of the wettest storm systems to impact the greater Los Angeles area since records began,” Ariel Cohen, chief NWS meteorologist in Los Angeles, said.
“Going back to the 1870s, this is one of the top three.”
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The remains of a home destroyed by a mudslide. Pic: AP
Kristin Crowley, Los Angeles fire chief, said her crews had responded to at least 130 flooding incidents by Monday morning.
There were around 120 mudslides and debris flows throughout the city on Monday, and at least 25 structures were damaged by heavy rainfall or mudslides as of Monday evening, Ms Crowley said.
About 710,000 people across wider California were without power on Monday evening.
Near the Hollywood Hills, floodwaters carried mud, rocks and household objects downhill through Studio City, damaging at least two homes.
“It looks like a river that’s been here for years – I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Keki Mingus, whose neighbours’ homes were damaged.
Firefighters rescue a dog. Pic: AP
Firefighters rescue a woman. Pic: AP
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency for most of coastal Southern California, while emergency shelters were opened.
Areas of southwestern Arizona were also impacted.
President Biden pledged to provide federal aid.
Atmospheric rivers are weather patterns made from relatively narrow plumes of moisture that form over an ocean and can produce torrential amounts of rain as they move over land.
In these two cases, the atmospheric rivers were called a “Pineapple Express” because they originated near Hawaii.
Children are among the fatalities in a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in California.
Police said four people had died and 10 were wounded in the incident in Stockton, about 60 miles east of San Francisco.
Officers were called on Saturday to a banquet hall just before 6pm local time (2am UK time) and district attorney Ron Freitas said children were among the dead.
He said the attacker was still at large.
First responders walk through a parking lot near the scene of a mass shooting in Stockton, California. Pics: AP
“We can confirm at this time that approximately 14 individuals were struck by gunfire, and four victims have been confirmed deceased,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said on X.
The post said early indications suggest it could be a “targeted incident” but that information remains limited.
Police have so far not disclosed the attacker’s identity and the motive is unclear.
Stockton’s vice mayor Jason Lee confirmed on Facebook that the shooting on Lucile Avenue happened at a child’s birthday party.
Pics: AP
Mayor Christina Fugazzi also said that “families should be together instead of at the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying that they survive”.
California governor Gavin Newsom’s office added that he had been briefed on the “horrific shooting”.
Venezuela has accused Donald Trump of a “colonial threat” after he said the airspace “above and surrounding” the country should be considered closed “in its entirety”.
Mr Trump made the declaration amid growing tensions with President Maduro – and as the US continues attacking boats it claims are carrying drugs from Venezuela.
He wrote on Truth Social: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Air traffic above Venezuela on Saturday afternoon. Pic: FlightRadar24
Venezuela’s foreign affairs office called it a “colonial threat” and “illegal, and unjustified aggression”.
It accused the president of threatening “the sovereignty of the national airspace… and the full sovereignty of the Venezuelan state”.
President Trump’s words were part of a “permanent policy of aggression against our country” that breached international law and the UN Charter, it added.
The Pentagon and the White House have so far not given any additional detail on the president’s statement.
Mr Trump’s post comes after the American aviation regulator last week warned of a “potentially hazardous situation” over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation”.
Nicolas Maduro is widely considered a dictator by the West. Pic: Reuters
The South American nation revoked operating rights for six major airlines that went on to suspend flights to the country.
Mr Trump warned a few days ago that land operations against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers would begin “very soon”.
Such a move would be a major escalation in Operation Southern Spear – the US naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that’s so far attacked at least 21 vessels.
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Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.
The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.
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The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as “foreign terrorist organisations” – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda.
It claims the boats targeted are carrying drugs bound for the US, although Sky’s chief correspondent says the final destination is likely to be Europe and West Africa.
President Maduro has denied Mr Trump’s claims he is involved in the drugs trade himself and said his counterpart wants to oust him so he can install a more sympathetic government.
Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves.
Mr Maduro is widely considered a dictator who’s cheated elections and has been president since 2013.
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