Millions of Californians already hammered by snowfall are about to get hit with a new storm starting Thursday that could cause dangerous flooding.
"An atmospheric river will bring anomalous moisture to California Thursday and Friday. The combination of heavy precipitation and rapid snow melt below 5,000 feet will result in flooding," the Weather Prediction Center said, adding that "numerous" floods are likely for millions.
"Rain will fall on snow cover, potentially making the flood situation even worse as the snow melts and the rain accumulates," CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said. Ferocious winds: More than 15 million people across central and Northern California, northern Nevada and southwestern Idaho are under high wind alerts. Wind gusts could reach up to 55 mph across lower elevations and up to 70 mph across peaks and mountains. Strong winds could knock down power lines and trees -- exacerbating thousands of existing power outages from previous storms that dumped heavy snow, particularly in higher elevations.
Many of the areas preparing for Thursday's storm have not had a chance to recover from the multiple rounds of fierce snow that buried some neighborhoods and made roads inaccessible as residents ran low on essential supplies. Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of moisture in the atmosphere that carry warm air and water vapor from the tropics.
In the Big Sur area, officials urged residents to have enough food and other essentials for at least two weeks. The Big Sur area, a roughly 90-mile stretch of California's central coast, is one of the area's renowned tourist attractions with rugged cliffs, mountains and hidden beaches along the Pacific Coast Highway.
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