Satellite imagery has been released of the two ‘Pineapple Express’ storms that are expected to unleash floods of rainwater on California this week. 

The Golden State was hounded by storms last year and residents are now bracing themselves for this year’s series of downpours. 

Several inches of rain and upper-elevation mountain snow is expected to be dumped on the state this week as a result of two atmospheric rivers that are taking aim at California.

Atmospheric rivers are defined as ‘narrow regions in the atmosphere that transport much of the moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes’ by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  

The weather phenomenon is known as ‘Pineapple Express’ because it brings warm subtropical moisture across the Pacific from near Hawaii. 

Satellite imagery has been released of the two ‘Pineapple Express’ storms that are expected to unleash floods of rainwater on California this week

Atmospheric rivers are defined as ‘narrow regions in the atmosphere that transport much of the moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes’ by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The weather phenomenon is known as ‘Pineapple Express’ because it brings warm subtropical moisture across the Pacific from near Hawaii

Expected to start on Wednesday and last a week, the two Pineapple Express storms will unleash downpours of rain of up to four inches on the state along with high winds measuring over 30 miles per hour. 

Showers have already begun in Northern California and are expected to migrate South overnight as the first storm takes over the state.

While the drastic weather conditions are expected to settle down on Friday and Saturday – the second of the two forecasted storms will drench California all over again when it hits on Sunday. 

‘Storm No. 1 will be moderate to strong. Nothing earth-shattering. It won’t be any catastrophe, but it could cause fairly widespread urban and small stream flooding in Northern California,’ UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said. 

‘The heavier rains and the stronger winds with storm No. 1 are probably going to be from the Monterey Bay area northward. So this will be a storm that affects the [San Francisco] Bay Area during the evening commute.’ 

The upcoming storms will ‘affect all of California’s major population centers,’ Swain said. 

The Golden State was hounded by storms last year and residents are now bracing themselves for this year’s series of downpours

Several inches of rain and upper-elevation mountain snow is expected to be dumped on the state this week as a result of two atmospheric rivers that are taking aim at California

Expected to start on Wednesday and last a week, the two Pineapple Express storms will unleash downpours of rain of up to four inches on the state along with high winds measuring over 30 miles per hour

However, Swain explained that the second storm will be ‘a different story,’ adding that the stormy weather will be accompanied with colder air when it starts to pick up on Sunday. 

‘With the Sunday-Monday storm in the Sierra Nevada, there actually could be quite a bit more snowfall,’ he said.

The second storm is predicted to soak Southern California with ‘very heavy rainfall,’ Swain said, and bring even stronger winds, as high as 70 miles per hour, to the northern part of the state.

Swain flagged concerns about the ‘potentially significant flood risk’ from the second of the Pineapple Express storms.

State officials have warned that power outages and flooding could accompany the looming storms. 

‘The state is working around the clock with our local partners to deploy life-saving equipment and resources statewide,’ Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. 

‘With more storms on the horizon, we’ll continue to mobilize every available resource to protect Californians.’   

The National Weather Service has currently issued eight flood watches for ‘excessive’ rainfall until Thursday in some parts of the state.

‘There will be an increased risk of rock and landslides along roadways. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas,’ the warning states.

Showers have already begun in Northern California and are expected to migrate South overnight as the first storm takes over the state

While the drastic weather conditions are expected to settle down on Friday and Saturday – the second of the two forecasted storms will drench California all over again when it hits on Sunday

In March last year, a Pineapple Express flooded California with 13 inches of rain, resulting in 13 deaths and widespread destruction.

The expected storm comes just a week after historic floods lashed San Diego, forcing residents to flee their homes amid the rising waters.

Cleanup operations were still underway after the city declared a State of Emergency amid the monumental rainfall that was almost unprecedented in the coastal community.

At least 100 homes were damaged or destroyed after the city saw more rain in a few days than it typically receives all month in winter.

There are also fears of a repeat of the evacuations seen in parts of the state amid a massive storm in December. The torrential rainfall brought huge swells that wrought havoc on the likes of Oxnard, Rio Del Mar and Ventura.