California will be hit by a “relentless parade of hurricanes” as the second major storm hits the state

Californians have been warned to prepare for more devastating storms as a series of atmospheric rivers continue to pour torrents of rain and flooding across the already battered state.

The National Weather Service warned the West Coast “remains below target for an unrelenting parade of cyclones” after heavy rain and winds have already claimed at least 12 lives over the past 10 days.

At least 100,000 Californians were without power as of Sunday night, with some counties ordering evacuations due to “imminent” flooding and wind gusts expected to reach 60 miles per hour.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency last week, and the weather services say much of California could be at risk of “significant” flooding until the storms calm down mid-week.

Authorities fear the dangers residents face are compounded by the frequency with which each storm follows and will continue to follow the one before it.

Without time to clean up and do damage control between bouts of rain, sleet, snow and wind, problems could build upon one another.

“The longevity and intensity of the rain, combined with the cumulative effect of consecutive heavy rain events dating back to late December, will result in widespread and potentially significant flooding impacts,” the Weather Prediction Center said Sunday.

“Numerous flash floods are likely, some potentially significant, particularly across burn scars,” the center added, noting that the changed terrain from recent wildfires in the area could compound the problems.

Last week, a street in California was washed out by floodwaters following the state’s recent flooding

Cars tumbled through huge puddles of water from California’s ongoing severe storms on Wednesday

The National Weather Service said the site had been so heavily inundated with rain in the past few days that it was becoming more vulnerable to increasingly hazardous conditions as the rains picked up.

“While some of the forecast rainfall amounts are impressive on their own, it’s important to note that what really sets this event apart is the conditions that preceded it,” advised the NWS.

Several systems have been saturating the ground, increasing flow in rivers and streams over the past week and really setting the stage for this to be a high impact event.’

Up to 12 inches of rain could fall in many parts of California by Wednesday, resulting in two consecutive and sustained storms.

“Tuesday is likely the day you will likely need to keep a very close eye on the weather as the potential for widespread river, stream, creek and road flooding and urban flooding over the next week will be at its most runoff and severe Precipitation is converging, creating a mess,” the Sacramento Weather Service Bureau said.

On Saturday, a surfer watches the big waves caused by the storm surge

Power was finally restored to over 400,000 buildings on Sunday after previous storms left them in the dark, according to PowerOutage.us.

San Francisco has already begun to flood, and Department of Emergency Management executive director Mary Ellen Carroll said sinkholes and mudslides have begun.

“We see sinkholes on our roads – a few of them. We’re seeing mudslides — nothing significant at this point,” Carroll said, according to CNN. “But the more rain we get and the less time in between, we know we’re going to see more of these conditions.”

She also warned that the city’s underground communications infrastructure could be compromised.

“The more we get swamped by the rain, the more failures we see with these so-called lifeline systems,” she said.

Sacramento County residents have been warned to evacuate before the flooding.

“As a precaution, residents must leave now before the roads become impassable. Rising water may spill onto nearby roads, cutting off access to exit the area,” the Sacramento County Emergency Medical Services Office said.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner also issued an evacuation warning, advising them to prepare in advance for a sudden escape.

“If possible, consider moving before the weather system launches,” the warning said.

And in the Central Valley, Stockton public schools are closed Monday due to “extreme weather conditions.” Numerous other schools across the country have followed suit.

Photos from the deluge showed massive waves crashing on the California coast, and trees toppled over streets and lawns.

Roads have been eroded by the torrential waters, and home and business owners have piled sandbags in front of their properties to try to deflect the flowing water.

Although the body of the storms is expected to subside by mid-week, weather experts predict things are likely to remain wet for weeks to come.

“Overall, there is high confidence (60-80%) that this wetter than normal pattern will continue over the next few weeks,” the San Francisco Weather Service said. “While we don’t have details on how much rain above normal will fall, suffice it to say that the continuation of saturated soils into the third week of January could pose hazards.”