Flash floods hit Northern California town

Up to 10 inches (25 cm) of rain were expected to wash over the West Coast, said meteorologist Marc Chenard of the Weather Prediction Center at the National Weather Service.

"It's an atmospheric river already moving through Northern California," he added, describing the storm as a "bomb cyclone," an intense weather event when the barometric pressure drops quickly.

The storm follows the busiest wildfire season in California history and heightens threats of flash flooding. Much of the region is in severe, extreme or exceptional drought, as classified by the U.S. Drought Monitor.