As about two dozen people have died in hurricanes in the past few days, a hurricane could bring as much as 18 centimeters of rain.
A powerful cyclone is expected to bring up to 18 cm of rain in California, the weather service warns. Tens of thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate after successive storms killed at least 17 people.
Heavy rains over the past few days on the already waterlogged land have caused widespread power outages, flooding, uprooted trees and blocked major roads, sweeping away some motorists.
The search for a five-year-old boy who drowned Monday in Paso Robles, a small town halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, has been suspended because of dangers to divers in rough waters, Fox News reported, citing a San Luis Obispo County spokesman.
According to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), the expected new storm will hit northern California and bring heavy snowfall to the Sierra Nevada mountains.