New Delhi, Dec. 25 -- Atmospheric river batters California, Nevada, and Arizona with life-threatening rainfall as state of emergency declared and one fatality confirmed amid unprecedented holiday deluge

A relentless atmospheric river has transformed the holiday season into a state of emergency across the southwestern United States, placing more than 43 million residents under flood warnings as torrential rainfall continues to pummel California, Nevada, and Arizona. The catastrophic weather system has already claimed one life in what meteorologists are describing as a rare and exceptionally dangerous flooding event that coincides with one of the year's busiest travel periods.

The fatality occurred in Sacramento County, California, where ...