Bomb cyclone bringing massive rain, snow to northern California

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Northern California was being pummeled Friday by heavy rains and snow as a bomb cyclone storm makes its way through the state areas amid growing floods and rising risks of potentially devastating mudslides.

Flood warnings have been issued for much of northern California's wine country, including Napa where there has been over 1 foot (30 cm) of rainfall recorded at the airport within the past three days, representing one-third of the yearly average, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

"Prolonged rainfall will result in an increased risk of flooding, an increased risk of landslides, and downed trees and powerlines across the North Bay," it said in an advisory.

The NWS has warned of travel delays and power outages that are likely to result from the storm.

Already, nearly two dozen flights have been cancelled, and over 80 others delayed, at San Francisco International Airport, according to the FlightAware website.

The bomb cyclone storm is the first major one for California this season. The name refers to how rapidly it intensified before making landfall earlier this week in the Pacific northwest.

Over 183,000 people remain without power in Washington state, the Poweroutage.com website reported as crews continue to work on repairs after the storm. Two women were killed in the Seattle area as the storm moved south for California, blanketing areas in snow and causing road closures, according to NBC News.

Los Angeles county is expected to see under a tenth of an inch of rain Friday morning before a second bout of rain hits Sunday, and lasts through Tuesday.