- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
- China economy hopes boost global equities
- Ubisoft shares sink after 'Assassin's Creed' delay
- German economy to shrink again in 2024: think tanks
California bracing for 'disastrous' floods, snow as latest storm hits
Parts of California braced Saturday for potentially disastrous flooding and snowfalls of up to six feet (two meters), as the latest in a damaging succession of storm systems barrels in over already water-drenched land.
Beginning early Saturday, a storm system will bring "heavy lower-elevation rain, significant mountain snow, and strong winds," the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
"Heavy rain chances will rapidly increase across California as another surge of Pacific moisture accompanies the approaching system," with a second system coming Monday, it said.
The NWS is predicting "disastrous flooding" across the lower Salinas River valley. That area, south of San Francisco, is one of the state's most productive agricultural areas.
The weather service said an additional two to three inches of rain (5.0 to 7.5 centimeters) in some areas could cause flooding and mudslides, with higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada seeing three to six feet of snow through Monday.
- Impassable roads -
The most populous US state has been pummeled by near-record downpours over a very wet three weeks, causing flooding, landslides and widespread power outages.
At least 19 people are known to have died.
Hardest hit, for now, is the Salinas Valley.
On Friday, forecasters warned that the Monterey Peninsula could be cut off and the whole city of Salinas -- home to 160,000 people -- hit by disastrous flooding that could last until Sunday.
Kelley O’Connell said the bursting of a levee near her home had worried her.
"If they release water from the dams or we get more rain, we’re just a field away," she told the San Francisco Chronicle as she collected sandbags.
Evacuation orders and warnings were widespread, with forecasters saying major roads could become impassable for days -- including highways linking the Monterey Peninsula with the rest of the county.
Resident John Guru said he was taking no chances, with four days' supplies at home and two days' worth in his car.
"This is crazy," he told the Monterey Herald. "I was not anticipating anything like this."
- Heavy snow -
Between storms, workers have rushed out to clear up some of the mess, shoveling mud from roads even in the heart of Los Angeles and using heavy machinery to clear rockslides.
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses have been left without power at times, sometimes repeatedly.
And forecasters say the unsettled weather in the US West -- associated with what is called an atmospheric river pattern -- is not done.
Over the mountains, heavy snow was making travel dangerous or impossible.
Among those who have died in the last three weeks were drivers found in submerged cars, people struck by falling trees, and a husband and wife killed in a rockfall.
Winter storms are not unusual in California. But global warming is making them wetter and wilder.
The latest storms are not enough to end the drought but are "making a good dent," Jay Lund, a water resources specialist at the University of California, Davis, told the Chronicle.
Y.Ibrahim--CPN