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16h ago

Atmospheric River Takes Aim at California as Flood Watches Spread and Sierra Readies for Feet of Snow

A midweek peak is expected to snarl holiday travel, with flood watches expanding across the West Coast.

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A man shovels the snow in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood in the Manhattan borough of New York City on December 14, 2025.
File image: cars drive along a street flooded with seawater during a King Tide event in Mill Valley, California. A snow blower operates following a massive snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
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Overview

  • An atmospheric river is moving into Northern California this weekend, with additional, stronger storms forecast Tuesday through Christmas Day.
  • Flood watches cover large swaths of California, Oregon and Washington, with forecasters warning of urban, creek and flash flooding as soils saturate.
  • Winter storm watches and warnings call for several feet of Sierra and Cascade snow, including an NWS warning for Yosemite forecasting 6 to 8 feet and gusts up to 50 mph.
  • Northern California forecasts outline multi‑day totals that could reach double digits in foothill and mountain zones, and Impact/Alert Days flag increasing risk from heavy rain, high winds and power outages.
  • Colorado is recovering from hurricane‑force winds up to 112 mph that downed lines and triggered public‑safety power shutoffs, leaving more than 57,000 customers without power as of Saturday while travel delays and cancellations ripple nationwide.