(NEW YORK) — More rain and snow are headed to hard-hit California, where some residents are still digging out from the massive snowfall that’s been pounding the region.
The next major storm is expected Thursday and Friday when the atmospheric river slams the San Francisco area with heavy rain and brings about 5 more feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Major flooding is possible in some areas.
In the areas with deep piles of snow, the snow could absorb the rain, and prevent extreme flooding. But that will make the snow even heavier and could cause roofs to collapse.
This comes after the Sierra Nevada mountain region was buried by 16 feet of snow in just the last two weeks.
The Sierra’s snowfall total for the season now stands at 48.33 feet, marking the snowiest season since the winter of 2010-2011. But this year isn’t the snowiest season on record; the winter of 1951-1952 holds the record at 67.65 feet of snow.
In Southern California’s San Bernardino County, crews have removed more than 7.2 million cubic yards of snow from highways, which equals nearly 2,270 Olympic-size swimming pools, according to the governor’s office.
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