Barrage of severe storms devastates California businesses and impacts the nation's food supply

CALIFORNIA BUSINESSES DEVASTATED BY WINTER STORMS

Since the beginning of 2023, California has been hit hard by a series of storms that produced torrential rains, mudslides, and heavy snow causing businesses to shut down and even roofs to collapse.  These storms have caused significant economic disruption, with businesses of all sizes and across multiple industries suffering losses. Just yesterday, businesses in the Los Angeles area were impacted by an intense thunderstorm that rumbled through the downtown area and produced a rare EF-1 tornado. 

AGRICULTURAL IMPACT

California storms have significantly impacted the nation's food supply because the state is one of the largest producers of agricultural products in the United States. The state's agricultural sector produces a significant portion of the country's fruits, vegetables, and nuts, including almonds, strawberries, avocados, and lettuce.

Although the heavy rain helped to alleviate the state’s drought conditions and replenish depleted water supplies, flooding resulted in damaged fields and disrupted supply chains to the nation’s grocery stores. For example, heavy rains from these storms have damaged crops like strawberries, vulnerable to water damage. This in turn, has lead to shortages and higher prices. The relentless rain has caused some farms to evacuate, delaying the harvest season. At this point, it’s unclear when planting schedules will resume. People who work on these farms have lost their jobs and their homes.

California’s storms also have impacted livestock. The bad conditions have led to lower production and higher prices for items like beef and dairy.

HEAVY SNOW DISRUPTIONS

The recent California storms have caused significant damage to buildings, especially businesses, in areas that saw heavy snow.

In addition to the heavy rainfall and flooding, heavy snow has caused businesses to shut down and, in some cases, caused significant property damage. A grocery store near Los Angeles was damaged when its roof buckled under the weight of two feet of snow. Goodwin and Sons Market was significantly damaged, but luckily there were no injuries.

AccuWeather's Snow Warning Service offers location-specific forecasts and 24x7x365 consulting services for snow, ice, blizzards, and other winter-hazard events.  Knowing this information can help maintain business continuity by identifying possible supply chain issues and preparing for snow removal, so your business isn’t damaged or shut down. 

IMPACT ON BUSINESSES

One of the most significant impacts has been on small businesses because they need more resources to withstand prolonged closures or repair costs. Many companies in areas hardest hit by flooding have suffered damage to their physical property, inventory, or equipment.

The storms have caused widespread power outages, which can impact businesses that rely on electricity to operate, including restaurants, retail stores, and giant corporations like tech companies and manufacturers. Transportation and logistics have also seen road closures and delays making it difficult to move goods and materials, causing supply chain disruptions. 

One of AccuWeather's clients, a Fortune 100 telecommunications company, utilized our SkyGuard^® Warnings and Asset Report^® to identify areas where their infrastructure and services could be impacted and to alert employees who may be in danger. Using our services, the company was able to determine where debris flow was being reported. Then, it compared and imported critical and accurate real-time information into its system where outages and damage were reported. 

Be proactive with AccuWeather's SkyGuard^® Warnings,  which will deliver site-specific alerts and offer warnings well before severe weather hits, giving you much-needed time to prepare. 

 Benefits of SkyGuard^® Warnings: 

• Live one-on-one or group consultation is provided by our weather experts anytime, day or night
• Reviewed Tornado Notifications, we monitor your pinpoint location and alert you when a tornado isn’t threatening your assets
• Alerts delivered in a format that aligns with your organizational emergency management plan
• All-clear notifications are sent when a threat is over, minimizing weather-related downtime
• All alerts are delivered via push notification from the SkyGuard^® mobile app, available on Android and iOS