California Braces for Epic Flood Danger as Record Snow Melts

California's historic snowpack has started to melt, with communities and valleys below the mountains bracing for the impact of any flooding as all that water makes its way downhill. The highest risk stems from the record snowpack in the southern Sierra Nevada, with an enormous volume of water expected to flow into rivers and streams through the spring and summer. Reservoirs in the region are not especially large, and flood-control systems are not as robust as they are in other parts of the state.