In the midst of years of drought, a powerful storm is drenching California. According to the National Weather Service California Nevada River Forecast Center, upwards of 8 inches of rain have fallen in some locations. Strong winds have caused thousands of homes in the San Francisco Bay Area to lose power. This image was captured by the GOES-West satellite at 10:30 UTC on December 12, 2014.

See more GOES imagery at 
http://goes.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Find out more about the storm from the Capital Weather Gang at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/12/11/strongest-storm-in-5-years-pounding-northern-california-chipping-away-at-drought/