Mudslides and floods after ''Pineapple Express'' strikes California

Extreme torrential rain has caused severe flooding and has triggered hazardous mudslides in California.

The storm is being channeled to California coast by a flow of atmospheric moisture known as the "Pineapple Express." It is the heaviest storm to hit California this winter with its ferocity peaking on February 14, 2019. Fortunately, many people were evacuated from potentially hazardous areas one day before. David Roth, a forecaster with the NWS, stated: "That whole area from Southern California and on up to Washington is primed for severe turbulence at altitude, especially over the mountains."

The areas that suffered critical damage by the wildfires over the last 2 years in California are prone to significant damage. The slopes in those regions lack of vegetation that could absorb a crucial amount of the rainwater and therefore creeks may overflow and cause flooding. Officials promptly evacuated the areas of Butte County, Lake Elsinore and North Redding. "It will be the most dangerous in areas where there were wildfires. The ground is already saturated with water and there's not much vegetation left to hold the soil," Mr. Roth said.

However, the occurrence of disastrous incidents was inevitable. In the area of Sausalito, located near the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco, two houses and five cars were carried away by a mudslide. One woman was injured and was sent to the hospital.

In Cabazon, Riverside County, California, two drivers were rescued by a helicopter after their vehicles got swept away by floodwaters. "We've had multiple water rescues throughout the day, I think today our helicopter is up to about a dozen. We haven't seen rain like this in 10 years," said CalFire spokesman Richard Cordova.

 Sources: Reuters.com, Express.co.uk, Accuweather.com