California Flood Threat Ongoing For Valleys And Coasts, Snowpack To Further Catch Up With More Storms Coming

California's rainy season has been living up to its name this year as more storms will continue to impact the state for the next several days.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but heavy rain, mountain snow and gusty winds are the main factors again for the waterlogged state.

Timing of Storms

Through Sunday: The first rounds of moisture will continue through the weekend, spreading across much of the state. The heaviest rainfall is expected across Northern California, with flood watches lasting through Sunday. Heavy snowfall is expected across the Sierra Nevada. High wind alerts are in place for most of Northern California, stretching to parts of Southern California.

Monday: Another storm system will approach, bringing another round of rain, snow and wind. This system is currently forecast to be weaker than the ones over the weekend, with only a level 1 of 4 threat of excessive rainfall for much of coastal California.

Tuesday: Much of the state will see drier conditions since the bulk of the lower-elevation rain and mountain is focused across the Pacific Northwest. Only Northern California can see some valley rain and mountain snow.

Wednesday - Friday: The forecast starts to get more uncertain here with some models showing signs of another storm system or two. Our data does show more rain and mountain snow for Northern California for at least Wednesday before the state will dry out by the weekend. Check back with us frequently as the forecast may change.

How Much Rain And Snow?

Widespread rainfall totals of 2-4 inches are possible with the Sierra foothills seeing 5-7 inches. Widespread winds to 50 mph could also cause some power outages and downed tree limbs.

Across the Sierra Nevada, snowfall totals through Monday morning could reach up to 5 feet. Winds could reach 100 mph across the peaks, so traveling in the mountains could be difficult to impossible.

Additional rain and mountain snow are expected from the systems this upcoming week. More details will be added as the forecast narrows.

Above Average Rainfall

This is the rainy season across the West, so if there were no rainfall, we would have a problem.

But, if you are wondering if it has been more than normal, you are correct.

We are seeing above-average rainfall this season. Let me give you a few cities below:

Los Angeles has seen an impressive 13.25 inches of rainfall since October 1. Their average is just over 4 inches. In fact, this is their 4th wettest October to January they have ever seen. A large portion of this rainfall fell the week of Christmas (see below graphic).

For More:Atmospheric River Recap)

Downtown San Francisco has seen nearly 10 inches of rainfall since October 1. Not as impressive as Los Angeles, but the city is still running over an inch above average.

Redding has seen over 16 inches of rainfall since October 1, which is over 4 inches above average.

Snowpack Recovering

The California Snowpack is essential, not just for skiers but for the fresh water supply for the state.

And when the snowpack is underperforming, concern mounts.

This year was not off to a good start.

On December 19, 2025, the snowpack was just 12% of where it should have been, largely due to the above-average warmth that has been persisting across parts of the West this winter. The warmth only allowed snowfall across the highest elevations.

This pattern has shifted, and as of January 2, 2026, the snowpack has jumped to 69% of normal. Nature has work to do, but hopefully the latest snowfall will bring it even closer to average.

King Tides Impacts?

If the rounds of rain, snow and gusty winds weren't bad enough, California is also being impacted by King Tides.

King Tides typically occur when the moon is near full and at its closest point to Earth and can create devastating storm surge.

(MORE:King Tides)

Coastal flood alerts are in place across parts of California over the weekend, warning that potentially 2 feet or higher of inundation is possible, which could lead to flooding of coastal communities.

Rob Shackelford is a meteorologist and climate scientist at weather.com. He received his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Georgia studying meteorology and experimenting with alternative hurricane forecasting tools.

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 03, 2026

California Flood Threat Ongoing For Valleys And Coasts, Snowpack To Further Catch Up With More Storms Coming

California's rainy season has been living up to its name this year as more storms will continue to impact the state for the next several...

Read More

How the World Is Reacting to the U.S. Capture of Nicolas Maduro

FILE - President Nicolas Maduro, accompanied by first lady Cilia Flores, greets supporters during an event marking the anniversary of a 1958 coup ousting dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 23, 2024. Credit - Jesus Vargas—Associated Press

World leaders reacted to thecapture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduroby the United States with a mixture of outrage, concern, and caution on Saturday.

President Donald Trump announced the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and a "large-scale" strike against Venezuela hours after explosions were reported in the country's capital, Caracas.

The extraordinary attack followsmonths of pressurefrom the Trump Administration on Maduro to cede power in the South American country over long-standing accusations of drug trafficking and election rigging.

Read more:Venezuela Isn't Panama—No Matter How Much Trump Wishes It Were

It represents the largest U.S. military operation in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama, when, as today, the U.S. captured the country's leader, Manuel Antonio Noriega.

Many countries expressed outrage over the capture of Maduro on Saturday, while even some U.S. allies issued statements calling for the rule of law to be respected.

South American leaders in particular expressed anger at the attack.

Here is a round-up of global reaction to the operation.

United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he wanted to speak to President Trump before making any firm statements either way about Maduro's capture.

"I always say and believe we should uphold international law, but I think at this stage [in a] fast moving situation, let's establish the facts and take it from there," he said in a statement to British broadcasters.

"I want to establish the facts first. I want to speak to President Trump," he said. "I want to speak to allies. As I say I can be absolutely clear we were not involved in that."

Russia

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it is "extremely alarmed" and called for "immediate clarification", according to a statement posted on Saturday on the ministry's Telegram channel.

It added later in a post on X: "The US committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela, which gives rise to deep concern & warrants condemnation."

"The pretexts used to justify these actions are untenable. Russia reaffirms its solidarity with the Venezuelan people,' it continued in the post.

China

China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was "deeply shocked" by what it described as a "blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president."

"Such hegemonic acts of the U.S. seriously violate international law and Venezuela's sovereignty and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region," it said.

"China firmly opposes it. We call on the U.S. to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and stop violating other countries' sovereignty and security," the statement continued.

United Nations

The United Nations said it was "deeply alarmed" by the U.S. strikes and capture of Maduro, suggesting it could have violated international law.

"These developments constitute a dangerous precedent," Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general, said in a statement.

"The Secretary-General is deeply alarmed by the recent escalation in Venezuela, culminating with today's United States military action in the country, which has potential worrying implications for the region," she added.

"The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect—by all—of international law, including the U.N. Charter. He's deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected," the statement continued

European Union

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X that she had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the EU ambassador in Caracas.

"The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition," she wrote. "Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint."

Mexico

In a statement on X, Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, shared an excerpt from the United Nations Charter.

"The Members of the Organization, in their international relations, shall refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."

Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned the capture of Maduro as crossing "an unacceptable line".

"Attacking countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step toward a world of violence, chaos, and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism," Lulawrote on X.

"The international community, through the United Nations, needs to respond vigorously to this episode," he added.

Colombia

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro condemned the U.S. operation in several posts on X.

"The Government of Colombia rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America," hewrote.

"Internal conflicts between peoples are resolved by those same peoples in peace. That is the principle of the self-determination of peoples, which forms the foundation of the United Nations system," Petro continued.

Denmark

Denmark, which has been on the receiving end of threats from the Trump Administration to take control of Greenland, issued a muted response to the operation.

"Dramatic development in Venezuela, which we are following closely. We need to get back on track toward de-escalation and dialogue. International law must be respected," Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussenwrote on X.

Spain

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for "de-escalation and responsibility."

"International Law and the principles of the United Nations Charter must be respected," Mr Sanchezwrote on X.

Contact usatletters@time.com.

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 03, 2026

How the World Is Reacting to the U.S. Capture of Nicolas Maduro

FILE - President Nicolas Maduro, accompanied by first lady Cilia Flores, greets supporters during an event marking the anniversary of a 195...

Read More

Think You're Cold? Alaska's Minus 50s Would Like A Word

Do you think that Alaska is cold during winter? Think again, it's beyond cold there. How about having consecutive days of temperatures colder than 40 degrees below zero!

This is true for much of the Alaskan interior, particularly near Fairbanks and in between the Alaska and Brooks mountain ranges.

Over the last three days in Fairbanks, temperatures have struggled to reach 40 degrees below zero, with organizers in Fairbanks even postponing their annual New Year's Eve fireworks show due to the extreme cold.

The temperature in the final few minutes of 2025 in Fairbanks was43 degrees below zero.

In other words, conditions are unbearably and dangerously cold, even by local standards in Central Alaska.

In Chicken, Alaska, located near the Canadian Border, temperatures dropped as low as 62 degrees below zero! Numerous other locations in the eastern Alaskan Interior have seen temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees below zero.

On top of bringing dangerously cold minimum temperatures, this most recent cold snap has also been more prolonged than usual.

Temperatures in much of Alaska have been largely colder than usual since aboutDecember 5th, 2025

Some regions of Far-Eastern Alaska and the neighboring Yukon Territory in Canada have seen combined December temperaturesup to 30 degreesbelow the climatological average.

For reference, the average December temperature in Fairbanks from 1904 to 2025 is 22 degrees below zero with much of central Alaska having similarly cold December temperatures on average. The city has seen a temperature departure of 18.5 degrees below average for December 2025, ranking as the 8th coldest December on record.

This means that much of East-Central Alaska has been stuck between 40 and 50 degrees below for nearly an entire month!

While many factors affect the severity of winters in Alaska, one notable statistic is the unusually high snowfall in portions of Alaska this past December. Fairbanks saw more than double its usual snowfall for the month of December.

Juneau, Alaska's capital, located in far-southeast Alaska, has seen nearly its entire annual snowfall in December alone, atover 80 inches.

Snowfall promotes cold temperatures by reflecting light from the sun back to space. In Alaska, there is already very little sunlight during the winter due to its positioning on and near the Arctic Circle.

What little sunlight snow-covered portions of Alaska have seen has been quickly reflected back to space by the unusually heavy snowpack.

In Central Alaska, located between the Alaska and Brooks ranges, the heavy snowpack, lack of sunlight, and lack of transport of air from warmer locations have led to the development of an arctic high pressure system, leading to stable conditions and light winds. These conditions cause the land to rapidly lose heat, becoming even colder. As long as this arctic high pressure is in place, Central Alaska will remain brutally cold (see forecast for next 3 days below).

Fortunately, this pattern will break down as we approach mid-January. A more active storm track from the Pacific is poised to bring wetter and warmer conditions to portions of Alaska, especially towards the middle to second half of the month. While this wetter pattern means snow for most, temperatures will improve, being far more bearable than the current temperatures in the 40 to 50 degree below zero range.

Hayden Marshall is a meteorologist intern and First-Year-Master's Student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has been following weather content over the past three years as a Storm Spotter and weather enthusiast. He can be found onInstagramandLinkedin.

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 03, 2026

Think You're Cold? Alaska's Minus 50s Would Like A Word

Do you think that Alaska is cold during winter? Think again, it's beyond cold there. How about having consecutive day...

Read More

California ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutional, court rules

A US appeals court ruled on Friday that California's ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional.

A panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appealssided, opens new tab2-1 with a gun owner in ruling that the state's prohibition against open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people violated the US Constitution's Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

About 95% of the population in California, which has had some of the nation's strictest gun-control laws, live in counties of that size.

US Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, who was appointed by Republican President Donald Trump, said the Democratic-led state's law could not stand under the US Supreme Court's 2022landmark gun rights ruling.

That decision, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v Bruen, was issued by the court's 6-3 conservative super majority and established a new legal test for firearms restrictions. The test said they must be "consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation."

VanDyke, whose opinion on Friday was joined by another Trump appointee, said the latest case "unquestionably involves a historical practice — open carry — that predates ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791."

He noted that more than 30 states generally allow open carry. California itself allowed citizens to carry handguns openly and holstered for self-defense without penalty until 2012, he said.

"The historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation's history and tradition," VanDyke said.

The ruling partially reversed a 2023 decision by a lower-court judge who had rejected a 2019 challenge to the law by gun owner Mark Baird.

While the appeals court largely sided with Baird, it rejected his related challenge to California's licensing requirements in counties with fewer than 200,000 residents, which may issue open-carry permits.

Senior US Circuit Judge N. Randy Smith, who was appointed by Republican former President George W. Bush, dissented, saying his colleagues "got this case half right" as all of California's restrictions complied with the Supreme Court's ruling.

A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat who defended the state's ban, in a statement said his office is considering its options. "We are committed to defending California's common sense gun laws," the spokesperson said.

The 2022 Supreme Court ruling has prompted court cases nationwide challenging modern firearm restrictions, including in California.

A 9th Circuit panel in September 2024 upheld a California law that prohibits people with concealed-carry permits from carrying firearms at several categories of "sensitive places" like bars, parks, zoos, stadiums and museums.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 03, 2026

California ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutional, court rules

A US appeals court ruled on Friday that California's ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional. ...

Read More

Trial to begin for police officer charged in delayed response to Uvalde school shooting

Families who lost loved ones in the 2022 attack onan elementary schoolin Uvalde, Texas, have sought for nearly four yearsto hold accountablethe police who waited more than an hour to confront the shooter while children and teachers lay dead or wounded in classrooms.

Now one of the first officers on the scene is about tostand trialon multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment. Former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales is accused of ignoring his training in a crisis with deadly consequences. His attorney insists he was focused on helping children escape from the building.

The trial that starts Monday offers potentially one of the last chances to see police answer for the long delay. The families have pinned their hopes on the jury after their gun-control efforts were rejected by lawmakers, and their lawsuits remain unresolved. A few parents ran for political office to seek change, with mixed results.

The proceedings will provide a rare example of an officer being criminally charged with not doing more to stop a crime and protect lives.

Jesse Rizo's niece was one of 19 children and two teachers killed by the teenage gunman in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Nine-year-old Jackie Cazares still had a pulse when rescuers finally reached her, Rizo said.

"It really bothers us a lot that maybe she could have lived," he said.

Only two of the 376 officersfrom local, state and federal agencies on the scene have been charged — a fact that haunts Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister, Irma Garcia, was one of the teachers gunned down.

"What about the other 374?" Duran asked through tears. "They all waited and allowed children and teachers to die."

The charges reflect the dead and wounded children, but not her sister's death or that of the other teacher who was killed.

"Where is the justice in that?" Duran asked. "Did she not exist?"

Prosecutors will likely face a high bar to win a conviction. Juries are often reluctant to convict law enforcement officers for inaction, as seen after theParkland, Florida, school massacre in 2018.

Sheriff's deputy Scot Peterson was charged with failing to confront the shooter in that attack. It was the first such prosecution in the U.S. for an on-campus shooting, and Peterson wasacquittedby a jury in 2023.

The attack, the delay and the indictments

Police and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott initially said swift law enforcement action killed Uvalde gunman Salvador Ramos and saved lives. But that version quickly unraveled as families describedbegging police to go into the buildingand 911 calls emerged from students pleading for help.

The reality was that 77 minutes passed from the time officers first arrived until a tactical team breached the classroom and killed Ramos.

Multiple reportsfrom state and federal officials cataloged cascading problems in law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and they questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of the children and teachers.

Gonzales was charged two years later in an indictment that alleged he placed children in "imminent danger" of injury or death by failing to engage, distract or delay the gunman and by not following his active shooter training.

The indictment said he did not advance toward the gunfire despite hearing shots and being told where the shooter was.

The only other officer to be charged is formerUvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo. His trial on similar charges has not yet been set.

Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell did not respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment on the indictments or whether a grand jury considered charging other officers.

According to a report by state lawmakers, Gonzales was among the first officers in the building. They heard gunfire and retreated without firing a shot after Ramos shot at them.

Gonzales told investigators he later helped break windows to remove students from other classrooms.

"He was focused on getting children out of that building," said Gonzales' attorney, Nico LaHood, a former district attorney and prosecutor in San Antonio. "He knows where his heart was and what he tried to do for those children."

The trial was moved from Uvalde to Corpus Christi, 200 miles away, after defense attorneys and prosecutors agreed a change of venue would be the best way to find an impartial jury.

A divided community

In Uvalde, a city of about 15,000 people, the Robb Elementary building is still standing, but it's empty. A memorial of 21 white crosses and flowers sits in front of the school sign. Another memorial is displayed at a downtown water fountain plaza. Murals of the victims cover walls on buildings around town.

Craig Garnett, owner and publisher of theUvalde Leader-Newsnewspaper, said people who were not directly affected by the attack "have found it pretty easy to move forward."

Garnett also believes getting the trial out of Uvalde was a good move for the city.

"The community was terribly divided in the aftermath," he said. If the trial were held there, "you would have so many opportunities to inflame things."

Some victims' parents sought political office but with little success.

Javier Cazares, Jackie's father, ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for the Uvalde County Commission as a write-in candidate on a platform that called for more rigorous police training. Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter Lexi was killed, made a bid for mayor in her memory in 2023 but lost.

Rizo, who won a seat on the school board in 2024, agreed that many Uvalde residents have moved on from May 24, 2022. He finds that maddening.

"I hear, 'They tried the best they could' and 'Do you blame them? Would you have taken a bullet?'" Rizo said. "It angers me and frustrates me."

Uvalde has a strong tradition of supporting law enforcement. Two of the people killed came from law enforcement families.

Mata-Rubio's husband was a sheriff's deputy who went to the school after the attack started. The other teacher killed, Eva Mireles, was married to one of the first officers to enter the building.

Families pursued multiple paths for justice

The families have sought justice through multiple legal paths.Federaland state lawsuits have been filedagainst law enforcement, a gun manufacturer, avideo gamecompany and theMeta social media companyover the shooting. Those cases are still pending.

The families reached a $2 million settlement with the city that promised higher standards and better training for police.

Relatives also lobbied state and federal lawmakers for stricter gun control laws that never advanced. But earlier this year, Texas lawmakers passed the Uvalde Strong Act, which sets new requirements for active shooter training and shooting response plans for police and schools.

Duran wants accountability not just for her sister but also for a beloved brother-in-law who died two days after the shooting.

Irma's husband, Joe, was watching a television report on the shooting when he heard that authorities missed their chance to end the attack quickly. He immediately fell to the floorwith an apparent heart attack, Duran said.

The conviction of a single officer out of almost 400 would bring little in the way of justice, Duran said.

"The only justice is going to be when they take their final breath," she said. "And then God will judge them."

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 03, 2026

Trial to begin for police officer charged in delayed response to Uvalde school shooting

Families who lost loved ones in the 2022 attack onan elementary schoolin Uvalde, Texas, have sought for nearly four years...

Read More

'Large scale strike' carried out against Venezuela; Maduro captured

(The Center Square) — The U.S. carried out a "large scale strike against Venezuela" in the overnight hours Saturday, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, according to a social media post from President Donald Trump.

The president said Maduro and his wife have been flown out of the country, but didn't indicate where they have been taken. He added that the operation was "done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement."

Secretary of State has said in the past that "Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government."

In a social media post on X from July, Rubio called Maduro the head of the "Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization" that took "possession of the country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States."

Trump said a news conference will be held later Saturday morning.

This is a developing story.

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 03, 2026

'Large scale strike' carried out against Venezuela; Maduro captured

(The Center Square) — The U.S. carried out a "large scale strike against Venezuela" in the overnight hours Saturday, capturing Ve...

Read More

California ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutional, court rules

A US appeals court ruled on Friday that California's ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional.

A panel of the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appealssided, opens new tab2-1 with a gun owner in ruling that the state's prohibition against open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people violated the US Constitution's Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

About 95% of the population in California, which has had some of the nation's strictest gun-control laws, live in counties of that size.

US Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, who was appointed by Republican President Donald Trump, said the Democratic-led state's law could not stand under the US Supreme Court's 2022landmark gun rights ruling.

That decision, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v Bruen, was issued by the court's 6-3 conservative super majority and established a new legal test for firearms restrictions. The test said they must be "consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation."

VanDyke, whose opinion on Friday was joined by another Trump appointee, said the latest case "unquestionably involves a historical practice — open carry — that predates ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791."

He noted that more than 30 states generally allow open carry. California itself allowed citizens to carry handguns openly and holstered for self-defense without penalty until 2012, he said.

"The historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation's history and tradition," VanDyke said.

The ruling partially reversed a 2023 decision by a lower-court judge who had rejected a 2019 challenge to the law by gun owner Mark Baird.

While the appeals court largely sided with Baird, it rejected his related challenge to California's licensing requirements in counties with fewer than 200,000 residents, which may issue open-carry permits.

Senior US Circuit Judge N. Randy Smith, who was appointed by Republican former President George W. Bush, dissented, saying his colleagues "got this case half right" as all of California's restrictions complied with the Supreme Court's ruling.

A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat who defended the state's ban, in a statement said his office is considering its options. "We are committed to defending California's common sense gun laws," the spokesperson said.

The 2022 Supreme Court ruling has prompted court cases nationwide challenging modern firearm restrictions, including in California.

A 9th Circuit panel in September 2024 upheld a California law that prohibits people with concealed-carry permits from carrying firearms at several categories of "sensitive places" like bars, parks, zoos, stadiums and museums.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 03, 2026

California ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutional, court rules

A US appeals court ruled on Friday that California's ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional. ...

Read More