California declared a state emergency Wednesday after a strong storm caused waves of 45 feet out at sea. It also dropped heavy rain on already saturated ground and raised concerns about flooding and mudslides.

The storm’s effects will intensify during the afternoon, and more than 8,000,000 people living in the San Francisco Bay Area should restrict travel, warned the regional National Weather Service office. California Governor. Gavin Newsom authorized the state National Guard to assist in disaster response after a severe storm ravaged much of California’s coast.

Pre-positioning of fire and rescue personnel has been done in areas most susceptible to flooding or mudflows.

According to Cynthia Palmer, a National Weather Service meteorologist, “If you have power, it is a good idea” to charge your phone, tablets, and computers while you still can. She spoke from the agency’s San Francisco office. She said that if the power goes out, it will be helpful to have access to information and a watch to keep an eye on the storm.

A bomb cyclone is a storm that is predicted to cause a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure, resulting in a storm of high intensity.

Rick Canepa (Meteorologist, National Weather Service San Francisco) said that the event was about 30 hours long. “The rain will not be finished until Thursday afternoon or evening.”

Forecasters predict that severe weather could bring down 10 to more inches of rain in Northern California’s northern regions over the next week. According to the National Weather Service, Wednesday’s storm is expected to cause flooding and damage trees, flood roads, and cause hillside collapses. It could also slow down airports and possibly lead to “loss or human life.”

Officials warn that the danger isn’t over even though they have already warned. Forecasters are monitoring other systems at sea that could also bring more precipitation to the region.

California was not the only area that experienced severe weather Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, a tornado was possible near Montgomery, Alabama. Although there were no injuries, more than 50 homes were damaged by the tornado.

Flood-related deaths in Sacramento confirmed; motorists rescued

Authorities said Wednesday that two more bodies were discovered in flood waters in a rural area of South Sacramento County. This brings the death toll from New Year’s Eve’s atmospheric river storm to three.

According to Sgt. Amar Gandhi, spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

Gandhi stated Wednesday night that the victim was not identified and that there wasn’t any additional information.

California Highway Patrol officers discovered the body of a woman in the early morning while rescuing vehicles from flooding.

Authorities discovered the body Sunday of a man in a submerged vehicle. Gandhi stated that rescue efforts are ongoing in Sacramento County.

Many motorists in Northern California were saved from fallen trees and flooded roads by rescuers.

After a family was trapped by fallen trees along a San Francisco street, the Fire Department saved them Wednesday night.

California residents are facing outages

According to Karla Nemeth (director of the California Department of Water Resources), trees can fall more easily when there is heavy rain and strong winds.

Officials and power companies advised residents to make sure they are prepared for the possibility of outages caused by the storm.

According to PowerOutage.us which tracks outages, nearly 178,000 homes were without power Wednesday night. The state’s north coast was the most affected.

Storm-stricken homeless people

Magaly Rowell, a resident of San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood waited under an umbrella for her bus at what appears to be a bus shelter near Precita Park. Rowell stated that she feeds homeless people every day at the church nearby, and not because her job as a security guard.

Rowell stated that it wasn’t so bad if there was no wind as her umbrella was pelted by rain and water gushing down Folsom Street. It gets worse when the wind blows like today. I worry about the homeless. They are the ones most affected by weather like this.

Ordered evacuations in coastal cities

Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara officials issued evacuation orders Wednesday due to the massive storm putting the coast at high risk from flooding and mudslides.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown announced Wednesday that mandatory evacuation orders were issued to those who live in areas with burn scars in Santa Barbara County because of potential flooding and debris flows.

Due to storm-related flooding concerns, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office issued many evacuation orders for the southern part of the county on Wednesday.

Strong storm causes flight disruptions

The storm’s strong winds and heavy rains are already disrupting flights in the Bay Area. More disruptions are expected as the peak nears.

On Wednesday afternoon, San Francisco International Airport had experienced 74 cancellations. This accounts for 8% of all flights.

According to Doug Yakel (a public information officer at the airport), about 191 flights were delayed an average 35 minutes. USA TODAY was informed that delays and cancellations were due to both reduced ceilings as well as winds.

A spokesperson for Oakland International Airport stated that “general airport operations here in OAK are being handled by our operations team.” USA TODAY was informed of this fact by a spokesperson. For updates on flights from Oakland, passengers who have flights to or from Oakland should check their airline’s website or mobile app.

For flights that were disrupted due to California’s bomb cyclone, travel waivers are available

Southwest Airlines offers free rebooking on Wednesday for flights from Oakland, Sacramento and San Francisco. Rebooking must be within the same travel dates and city pairs as the original.

Delta Air Lines issued Wednesday night a travel waiver to flights that were scheduled for Thursday or Friday from San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento. If the rebooked travel is made before January 8, the fare difference will be waived.