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Atmospheric river barrels toward California as mountain towns reel from prior storms

Members of a Cal Fire crew clear snow off the roof of the town’s post office after a series of storms Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Crestline, California. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

California is bracing for the arrival of another atmospheric river that forecasters warn will bring heavy rain, strong winds, thunderstorms and the threat of flooding to a state still digging out from earlier storms.

The flood threat will come from the combination of rain and melting of parts of the huge snowpack built in California’s mountains by nine atmospheric rivers early in the winter and later storms fueled by a blast of arctic air.

Meanwhile, so much snow has fallen in the Sierra and other mountain ranges that residents are still struggling to dig out days after earlier storms. At high elevations the storm is predicted to dump as much as 8 feet of new snow.

READ MORE: 9 Staggering Photos of Tahoe Inundated With Snow

Further south, the San Bernardino Mountain communities are likely to be spared another major snowfall, though the warm storm raises concerns about a rapid snowmelt. Authorities said creeks, streams and rivers could rise quickly, raising the threat of flooding.

The National Weather Service characterized the flood threat as “moderate.”

John Bays clears snow off his driveway after a series of storms on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Lake Arrowhead, California. Residents of Southern California mountain towns are still struggling to dig out and get necessities in the aftermath of a record-setting blizzard last month that dumped so much snow that roads became impassable and roofs collapsed. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

WATCH: What Is an Atmospheric River, Anyway?

A low threat of snow is welcome news for 79-year-old Alan Zagorsky, who found himself shut inside his home in Lake Arrowhead, Calif. with snow blocking the door and stairways leading out.

“We’ve been through many a snowstorm but nothing of this amount, that’s for sure,” resident Alan Zagorsky, 79, said Wednesday as a crew shoveled his driveway. “Right now, they’re trying to find a place they can put this stuff.”

More photos:

Rob Pagarian (left) and fellow volunteers with the disaster response group Team Rubicon dig a resident's vehicle out of the snow on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Lake Arrowhead, California. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo
Food is distributed out of a parking lot in Crestline, California, after a series of storms on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo
Workers clear snow off the roof of Skyforest Elks Lodge in Rimforest, California, after a series of storms on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo
Two women carry food and supplies from a nearby distribution center in Crestline, California, after a series of storms on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo

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