Three people dead as storms wreak havoc in California | First Thing

Nearly 38 million people under flood alerts as officials warn dangers still lurk in the waters. Plus, the research challenging the idea that money buys happiness'

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A deadly, atmospheric river-fueled storm caused chaos across California yesterday, battering the state with record amounts of rain, destructive mudslides, and violent winds that left at least three people dead from falling trees.

How did atmospheric rivers lead to a state of emergency? Much like last year, when record rainfall lashed the state, the storms are attributed to atmospheric rivers, systems that have long played a role in California's precipitation levels. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration refers to these systems as rivers in the sky", as they are long streams of moisture in the atmosphere that span between 250 and 375 miles wide on average.

What did Blinken say about the talks? Blinken did not answer reporters' questions as he returned to his hotel, says Reuters, but his diplomatic push has been given fresh urgency with Israeli forces pressing farther south towards Rafah, a Palestinian city on the southern border with Egypt where more than half the population of the Gaza Strip have taken shelter.