California residents from north of San Fransisco to Los Angeles and points south girded themselves Sunday for what officials are calling a “potentially historic” storm.
The National Weather Service issued an extraordinarily rare “hurricane force wind warning” for the state’s Central California coast – from the Monterey Peninsula to the northern edge of San Luis Obispo County, which includes Santa Barbara.
Officials have issued evacuation orders or warnings in parts of Los Angeles, Monterey Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, with and life-threatening damage expected.
“This storm is predicted to be one of the largest and most significant in our county’s history, and our goal is to get through it without any fatalities or any serious injuries,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said Saturday.
The state was hit with as similar storm Jan. 9, 2023, attributed to what weather experts call an “atmospheric river” coming off the Pacific Ocean.
Brown said the rain won’t be as intense but more sustained, “over a more or less continuous period for 24 hours or more.”
Meteorologist Robbie Munroe called incoming system a “potentially historic storm,” according to the Los Angles Times.
