Southern California has been hit by a strong storm due to a recurring atmospheric river causing life-threatening flash flooding, with authorities saying there is more to come.

Blue Book Services notes that "All that rain and snow brings life to depleted reservoirs, but too much water so close together can cause catastrophic flooding and crop damage."

During this time of the year, the fruits that could suffer the most from flooding are strawberries and citrus fruits. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a State of Emergency in Southern California, saying, "This is a serious storm with dangerous and potentially life-threatening impacts."

David Espinoza from Hronis Inc. tells FreshFruitPortal.com that some citrus fruit has fallen from trees due to the wind, however, it is still too soon to know the real extent of damages to in-season commodities.

CNN reported on Monday that the city of Los Angeles had the "wettest day in nearly 20 years," with 5.96 inches of rain since Sunday in the Downtown area — well above what it typically receives in the entire month of February.

Strawberries

In the case of strawberries, the weather phenomenon alongside increased demand for Valentine's Day is pushing strawberry prices in the West slightly up by 15% over the previous week.

Strawberry prices typically decline sharply through May with a few moments of increased demand, such as these few weeks leading to Valentine’s.

Despite these significant increases, strawberry markets are still at a ten-year low for week #5 and are ripe for promotion. More rain is in the forecast for growers in California and Florida this week, which, at best, will cause delays in harvesting and, at worst, cause damage to unharvested fruit, according to Produce Blue Book.