34 million people in California are under a flood watch due to atmospheric storms that have produced extreme precipitation and have spurred floods, increased reservoir levels, and created snowpacks since December 2022.

Atmospheric rivers are draining California with an estimated 32 trillion gallons of water and boosting the water supply. Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow passages of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere. The rainfall is so intense that California’s 6-year drought is now interrupted. Since the start of December, these storms have more than doubled the average amount of rain. California’s second-largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, is filled to the brim with water and has forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate downstream. The death toll is 17 as of January 14th, 2023. Additionally, the Sierra Nevada mountain range received 18 feet of snowfall making the snowpack 240% of the average. Highways and streets have transformed into gushing rivers and mudslides and fallen debris has caused many roadblocks. These relentless storms have flooded hundreds of homes, put tens of thousands of people without power, and has forced the closure of some schools. 

The California Department of Water Resources is helping and responding to the impacts of severe storms across the state. State flood management is being monitored constantly. Flood-fighting supplies and equipment have been placed at 49 locations across the state to boost state-wide action and flood-fight specialists are sent out as needed to aid local authorities in identifying crucial places.