Pineapple Express triggers mudslide in Northern California
Atmospheric river fuels torrential downpours in California
The worst of the rain, snow, and winds carried by the so-called Pineapple Express, a river of warm air loaded with moisture, hits California on Thursday (February 14) and sticks around at least through Friday, forecasters said.
The weather system, headed east from near Hawaii, is the wettest storm on the U.S. West Coast this season. It has swamped cars, flooded vineyards and forced hundreds of Californians to evacuate their homes Wednesday to escape the threat of mudslides.
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Among the hardest-hit areas was northern California, where rain driven by winds up to 75 miles per hour (120 km per hour) pounding parts of Sonoma County's wine country.
WATCH BELOW: AERIAL FOOTAGE OF MASSIVE MUDSLIDE IN SAUSALITO
Aerial footage captured the aftermath of a mudslide in the town of Sausalito, showing a river of mud along a hillside residential neighborhood.
Below: Photos and videos shared on social media show how intense these storms are
