Alert in California: New storms threaten flooding and historic snowfall

CALI - BAJA

17-02-2026

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Editorial bajanews.mx| BajaNews
Publicado: 17-02-2026 16:41:10 PDT
Actualizado: 17-02-2026 16:41:37 PDT

Heavy snow and extreme winds impact mountain passes

A new round of storms is keeping millions of people under the threat of flooding across much of the coast of California, after Monday’s rainfall shattered long-standing daily records in several cities. In Los Angeles, urban flooding and mudslides forced road closures, while Stockton and Modesto set new daily precipitation records.

The forecast calls for additional heavy rainfall, particularly in San Francisco and once again in Los Angeles, with a third round of precipitation expected by Thursday.

Aviso Especial Marítimo incluye Aguas exteriores desde Isla Santa Cruz a Isla San Clemente hasta 60 MN costa afuera incluyendo las Islas San Nicolas y Santa Barbara hasta las 4:15 PM PST pic.twitter.com/hF4Uh0vNfQ
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) February 17, 2026

In mountainous areas, a powerful winter storm is sweeping across the Sierra Nevada, bringing intense snowfall and strong wind gusts that have triggered road closures and hazardous driving conditions. Snow accumulations of up to eight feet are possible on the highest peaks.

While the storm system is causing significant disruptions, it is also expected to boost snowpack levels across the western United States, including in states such as Utah, where snow levels have fallen to historic lows. Winter snowpack is critical to ensuring water supplies during the summer months.

California storms flooding heavy rainfall snowfall Sierra Nevada Los Angeles San Francisco extreme weather climate emergency mudslides rainfall records snowpack drought Utah