El Nino strikes! Snow falls in California during first wintery blast of the season as experts warn of record storms on the West Coast this winter
The Kirkwood Mountain Resort reported one foot of snow Monday
Rain across the state caused traffic accidents, including a 20-vehicle crash in the southern San Joaquin Valley
Experts say it is the start of a record-breaking El Nino moving in
The 1997-98 El Nino claimed 17 lives and caused more than half-billion dollars in damage throughout California
El Nino forms every few years when the Pacific Ocean warms up around the equator
The climate pattern carries moisture across California, Texas and the Gulf states and brings stormy weather
DailyMail.com
3 November 2015
The first winter-like storm of the season brought rain and snow to California on Monday, marking the start of what experts say will be one of the strongest El Nino events on record.
A cold front coming down from the northwest dropped rain, cooler temperatures and even some in the state’s mountains – and this is just the beginning.
‘This El Nino is larger, it’s more intense, it’s more deeply embedded in the ocean,’ NASA climatologist Bill Patzert told ABC 7.
‘El Nino’s tend to give you smaller storms, but more frequent storms.’
El Nino forms every few years when the Pacific Oceans warms up around the equator.
The climate pattern carries moisture across California, Texas and the Gulf States, causing stormy weather.
The 1997-98 El Nino claimed 17 lives and caused more than half-billion dollars in damage throughout California
The change in weather Monday also triggered a few traffic accidents, including a 20-vehicle crash in the southern San Joaquin Valley, when gusts ahead of the front whipped up dust.
The big collision happened shortly after noon on southbound State Route 99 a few miles south of Bakersfield, said California Highway Patrol Scott Jobinger. Traffic backed up for three miles.
Five people with minor injuries were taken to hospitals, Kern County Fire Department spokesman Tyler Townsend said. There were no serious injuries.
The cold front from the Pacific Northwest dropped a half-inch of rain in San Francisco and an inch or more in other Bay Area cities.
The Rest…HERE
