They warned us that El Niño would be a "conveyor belt" of storms hitting California this winter, and it looks like they were right. Satellite images show three more storms lined up across the Pacific, almost all the way to Japan, ready to hit the Golden State this week.
The first of the four storms forecast for this week already hit us on Monday morning, making our commute a little wet. A nice welcome back from the holidays from Mother Nature. Monday night and Tuesday will see the strongest of the four, with some low-lying areas of Los Angeles expected to see some flooding. A third will hit on Wednesday, and the last is expected by Friday. A storm surge could help make waves as big as 15 feet by Thursday, according to the L.A. Times.
As the Washington Post explains, the wet weather comes to us by way of a subtropical jet stream, a sort of atmospheric highway for rain. An El Niño means abnormally warmer waters in the Pacific during the winter, which means a wetter jet stream. Thanks, El Niño.
As miserable as the weather might make us, it's a great relief after how parched the state got from that epic drought. Up to four inches could fall in our region on Tuesday, and, more importantly, the Sierras could see some much needed snow.
