USA: The gap in the Californian dam has doubled in size, the water is turning blue on farms and settlements

A breach in a dam on California's Paharo River has doubled in size, complicating efforts to repair the dam, while water is spilling onto farms and communities as another atmospheric "river" makes its way to the state on the west coast of the US.

The breach appeared under pressure from the rising water on Friday and has so far expanded 90 meters, local officials said, and more than 8.500 people have been evacuated.

The dam was built in the late 40s of the last century as flood protection, but it has been risky for decades, and in the 90s it burst several times. Emergency repairs on it were undertaken in January of this year, and in 2025 a renovation worth 400 million dollars should begin.

The Paharo River is the natural border between California's Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, and is located about 110 kilometers south of San Francisco.

Monterey County officials are warning of the danger of the Salinas River overflowing, which could flood roads and farmland, but also cut off the Monterey Peninsula from the rest of the county. The town of the same name is located on that peninsula.

Meteorologists are warning of new flooding, wind damage and possible power outages due to the surge of a new atmospheric "river" that is expected to reach northern and central California from the Pacific Ocean and move south in the coming days.

A huge cloud of Pacific moisture stretches almost to Hawaii.

California was hit by 10 atmospheric rivers this winter, the last time a week ago, and it was also battered by storms fueled by icy arctic winds that brought huge amounts of snow to this American state.

The last atmospheric river brought subtropical moisture that caused melting in the lower elevations of the Sierra Nevada, which helped swell rivers and streams.

However, the amount of snow on the mountains is so great and so cold that it almost absorbed the rain that fell there, so the snow cover only increased in the southern and central Sierra Nevada, according to Los Angeles climatologists.

The new atmospheric river will not be as warm as the previous one, they add.