State of emergency declared

Flooding and power outages in California

(Bild: AFP/Getty Images/Mario Tama)

Heavy rainfall, flooding and power outages: In California, the authorities have declared a state of emergency for numerous regions due to heavy storms. On Monday, they warned of gale-force winds, flooding and life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

It was a "serious storm with dangerous and potentially life-threatening impacts", said the governor of the US state, Gavin Newsom. He declared a state of emergency for eight counties in southern California, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Barbara.

Dozens of flights canceled in Los Angeles
According to the website PowerOutage.com, almost 800,000 people were without power early Monday morning. Air travel was also restricted: According to the website FlightAware, dozens of flights were canceled or delayed at Los Angeles Airport.

Numerous streets in the city of Santa Barbara were flooded.(Bild: AFP/Getty Images/Mario Tama)

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of the "most violent storm of the season". It could sweep across large parts of California at speeds of up to one hundred kilometers per hour. People should be prepared for severe storms with "dangerous flooding, massive snowfall, wind gusts, coastal flooding and high surf".

Warning of flash floods and mudslides
The heavy rainfall would also result in "life-threatening flash floods" and "mudslides", it added. The storms were caused by violent storms over the Pacific Ocean as part of the "Pineapple Express", a weather phenomenon that forms around Hawaii from warm, moist air.

Last summer, the west of the USA experienced an extreme heatwave with record temperatures. The following winter has been unusually wet so far. According to experts, global warming is causing extreme weather phenomena to occur more and more frequently.