
People use kayaks and a canoe to make their way around a flooded parking lot at a shopping center in Healdsburg, Calif. (Photo: Eric Risberg, AP)
The West Coast of the United States is being hit by one of the strongest storm in years bringing heavy rain that flooded some parts of California.
In Oregon, at least two people were reportedly killed due to the storm.
The ferocious storm also produced very strong winds across Northern California, including hurricane force wind of 78 mph near Lake Tahoe and over 100 mph in many spots in the mountains.
According to the National Weather Service, the highest gust recorded so far was 147 mph which was recorded near Lake Tahoe.
The powerful storm system is fueled by the “Pineapple Express” that is delivering a steady stream of moisture directly from Hawaii to the West Coast.
There were flash flood in several parts of the Bay Area and some parts of major highways were closed due to flooding.
- Traffic moves slowly as flood water runs over Highway 101 near the Marin and Sonoma county border Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, in Petaluma, Calif. A powerful storm churned through Northern California Thursday, knocking out power to tens of thousands and delaying commuters while soaking the region with much-needed rain. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
- Aidan Stephenson,12, and Conor Stephenson,10, visiting from Phoenix, watch the waves break on Ocean View Boulevard in Pacific Grove, Calif. (Photo: Vern Fisher, Monterey Herald, via AP)
- Aidan Perez, left, 12, and Christopher Dow, 11, use a shopping cart to get around the flooded parking lot of a shopping center in Healdsburg, Calif. (Photo: Eric Risberg, AP)
- Mark Kunze of San Bruno, Calif., pushes his stalled vehicle out of the flooded intersection of Airport Boulevard and Grand Avenue in South San Francisco. (Photo: Alex Washburn, AP)
- Only the roof of a car is visible as it sits underwater in a flooded road in Berkeley, Calif. The San Francisco Bay Area is being hit with a severe storm that has toppled trees and caused local flooding. (Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)
- A resident of Healdsburg, Calif., checks for people in a vehicle submerged in floodwaters. (Photo: Kent Porter, Santa Rosa Press Democrat via AP)