Major storm sweeps through California.

(Baonghean) - On Thursday (December 11th), a storm considered the strongest in the past three years swept through the US state of California. Heavy rain accompanied by snow and wind caused flooding and landslides in many areas. The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts that this situation could last until Friday.

A road submerged by floodwaters in California. Photo: Craig Shultz

On Wednesday night into Thursday morning, the storm, which formed in the North Pacific, swept across California before moving toward Los Angeles and San Diego in the south of the country. According to Todd Morris, a spokesperson for the NWS, wind speeds near the storm's center reached 230 km/h, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.

Before the storm hit, many schools around the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California closed. Sandbags were deployed along levees to prevent landslides. Additionally, PG&E (the power company) cut power to approximately 150,000 households, but restored it Thursday afternoon. According to media reports, bad weather on Thursday resulted in the cancellation of around 240 flights.

This is the first time since 2008 that an avalanche warning has been issued for the mountains of Northern California. On Thursday morning, snowdrifts nearly one meter high were measured on mountain peaks. Rainfall in many northern locations reached 25 centimeters. In a nearby area, a resident swept away by floodwaters was rescued by a firefighter.

In Los Angeles, authorities have issued a yellow alert, which could be upgraded to orange or red if the situation worsens. In the worst-case scenario, authorities will order the evacuation of residents in dangerous areas. Weather forecasts also warn of waves that could reach 9 meters in height, making the weather extremely dangerous for sea travel.

Despite some property damage, Californians were eagerly anticipating the storm. The rains it brought helped alleviate a three-year drought that had severely dried up many rivers and lakes across California. Stephanie Pinctl, a professor at the UCLA Environmental Institute, stated, "California will need even heavier rainfall in the coming years to overcome the drought." A few months ago, the drought also caused extensive deforestation in protected forests. As a result, authorities had to raise landslide warnings due to the lack of tree cover during the storm.

Chu Thanh

According to LeMonde, December 12