California braces for powerful cyclone, heavy rainfall, flash flood predicted for region

In a significant development for the region, Northern California and the Pacific Northwest are bracing for a powerful cyclonic storm. The weather office has predicted heavy rains and winds for the region, which is likely to cause power outages and flash floods. The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks beginning on Tuesday and lasting through Friday as the strongest atmospheric river -- long plumes of moisture stretching far over the Pacific Ocean -- that California and the Pacific Northwest has seen this season bears down on the region.