California Still Pounded by Deluge of Rain, Wind

Heavy rainstorms continue to assault California. The rains have caused floods and mudslides that have killed 17 people since Sunday. Tens of thousands of people had to evacuate. As many as 150,000 homes and businesses are without power.

Falling trees and motorists driving on flooded roads have caused the deaths, officials said. 

Many roads cannot be used. The rain has turned them into rivers. The state is filled with hills. That's led to mudslides and landslides. As a result, people in low-lying areas have had to leave their homes. Flood advisories are still in effect for more than 4 million people.

Scientists are not blaming the storms on climate change. But they say that the Earth’s current warming cycle is changing weather patterns and causing severe systems to hit various parts of the world.

Back-to-back extreme weather events have caused catastrophic damage across the US. They cost at least $165 billion in 2022 alone, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The report says the US had 18 extreme weather and climate disasters in 2022. 474 people were killed in the disasters. Over the past seven years, 122 separate billion-dollar disasters have killed at least 5,000 people. The agency says that's cost the US more than $1 trillion in damages.

Photo from Reuters.