Torrential rain lashed California on Thursday, flooding some roads and prompting flood warnings as the storm was accompanied by a second cold snap, AFP reported.

The current torrential rain is pouring out an “atmospheric river,” a giant rain corridor that carries water vapor that accumulates in the tropics around Hawaii.

By Wednesday, heavy rains had passed in Northern California.

The south of the state and Los Angeles were also affected Thursday morning. Some roads in the city were flooded and a section of the Pacific Coast Highway, popular with tourists for its stunning coastal views, was closed.

Some sewer pipes overflowed and local television showed cars submerged in water at the intersection.

The NWS warned that the “biggest storm of the season” could begin on Sunday.

“The exact time, intensity and amount (of precipitation) are still unknown, but it is very likely that it will be a serious storm that will last two to three days,” forecasters said.

Up to 18 inches of snow can be expected in the mountains east of Los Angeles.

But the authorities are most concerned about the second part of the winter season, which can cause landslides and large floods.

Rainfall allowed California to replenish water supplies

The West Coast of the United States experienced an unusually wet winter last year due to a series of very close storms that produced near-record rainfall.

These disasters claimed more than twenty lives and caused massive damage and power outages.

However, this rainfall allowed California to restore its water supply after several years of severe drought.

Historically, California has been used to alternating periods of heat and heavy rain, and it is always difficult to link a specific weather event to climate change.

Yet scientists have warned for years that global warming is wreaking havoc on the climate and increasing the frequency of extreme events, from storms to heat waves.