The atmospheric river impacting northern CA and southwestern OR could bring up to 5 feet of snow in the mountains and up to 15 inches of rain in parts of the Golden State.

A bomb cyclone occurs when a storm's pressure drops quickly, which intensifies the storm and ramps up wind gusts. Atmospheric rivers are a "long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A lot of rain is going to cause some issues across the northern portion of the state,” a National Weather Service meteorologist said.