California is bracing for the onslaught of yet another atmospheric river inducing widespread flooding concerns. With some areas already having felt the impact of a dozen stormy fronts so far this season, officials are urgently warning residents of dozens of counties to start leaving at-risk areas. The National Weather Service has issued a level 4 of 4 warning in an area stretching from Salinas to San Luis Obispo, with nearly 70,000 people urged to evacuate their homes. Hourly rainfall rates of up to 1 inch per hour are expected in some of the affected areas, while creeks and streams in the Sierra Nevada foothills remain the most vulnerable to flooding and potential avalanches.

The National Water Center has warned of multi-rounds of rainfall bringing with it the potential for significant river and stream overflows, with the worst of the rain likely to persist until the early part of next week