California is preparing for a major Pacific storm expected to arrive on Wednesday. The state has implemented road closures and issued evacuation warnings in parts of Los Angeles and Malibu that are susceptible to mudslides and debris flows. This powerful storm poses a risk of dangerous weather for the central U.S. later in the week, with heavy snowfall predicted in the Sierra Nevada mountains and torrential rain expected in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
The region is bracing for intense rainfall rates, which could lead to flooding, mudslides, and debris flows, particularly in areas that were previously affected by wildfires earlier in the year. The Los Angeles Fire Department has issued evacuation warnings for neighborhoods impacted by recent wildfires, and over two dozen neighborhoods in Malibu are also under evacuation advisories.
In addition to the evacuation alerts, several major roads have been closed, including portions of the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and other key routes. The National Weather Service is forecasting significant snow accumulation in the Sierra Nevada mountains, with the potential for avalanches and hazardous travel conditions at high elevations.
Meanwhile, a low-pressure system is moving over the southern Plains, bringing the possibility of severe thunderstorms to northeastern Texas, Oklahoma, western Arkansas, and Louisiana. This is just a prelude to the major weather impacts expected for the central U.S. later in the week, with over 100 million people at risk of severe weather, ranging from blizzards in the northern Plains to tornadoes and wildfires in the South. AccuWeather has warned that this storm system could result in the most significant severe weather outbreak of the year so far.
