Drought-stricken California was battered with intense rain and winds since early Thursday morning, December 11, as well as parts of Oregon and Washington in what US National Weather Service (NWS) office in California forecasted as one of the strongest storms in terms of wind and rain intensity since October 2009.
This strong Pacific storm, dubbed the Pineapple Express, killed at least two people on Thursday, knocked out power for tens of thousands, flooded major roadways, disrupted flights, forced schools to close and caused mudslides and evacuations in Southern California.
2.91 inches (73 mm) of rain was recorded in just one hour on the Big Sur coast Thursday. During yesterday's full 24 hours, 3.55 inches (90 mm) of rain fell in the San Francisco Bay Area, it was their second wettest December 11 on record.
