Stunning photos shows California superbloom: Unprecedented winter storms sees abundance of wildflowers springs up - with officials warning people to stay away

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California's prolonged, wet winter has resulted in a beautiful burst of spring wildflowers carpeting the landscape of the Golden State.

The state was battered this winter by at least a dozen atmospheric rivers - long plumes of moisture from the Pacific Ocean - as well as powerful storms fueled by arctic air that produced blizzard conditions in mountainous areas. 

The wintry weather flooded homes, triggered power outages and brought much-needed rain to drought-parched agriculture, though in some cases, more water than the crops could withstand.

But now, California's normally arid desert sands have become awash with color thanks to a rare 'super bloom' of poppies caused by the massive amounts of rainfall.

Rain-fed wildflowers that lay dormant for years have suddenly sprouted - creating a spectacular display that has drawn record crowds and led to traffic jams on rural roads. 

The super bloom of wild flowers, as a result of extremely heavy winter rainfall, has resulted in the hillside being completely covered in bright orange poppies over the last two weeks

The super bloom, which was the result of extremely heavy winter rainfall, sees the area covered in poppies

Wildflowers have been sprouting from California's desert sands after lying dormant for years - producing a spectacular display that has been drawing crowds

California poppies and wildflowers bloom near the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

California's landscape has been transformed into a vibrant display of spring wildflowers following a prolonged, rainy winter

Rancher's Fireweed (Amsinckia menziesii) blooms at Carrizo Plain National Monument on April in San Luis Obispo County, California

Powerful storms brought heavy rains across much of the state in January, leading to a 'Super Bloom' of wildflowers

Visitors take photos with wildflowers at Carrizo Plain National Monument this past weekend in San Luis Obispo County, California

A 'super bloom' is a term for when a mass amount of desert plants bloom at one time.

In California, that happens about once in a decade in a given area and it hadn't happened for some time given the state's recent drought. 

'The superbloom is really a cultural phenomenon, where people decide that there are enough flowers here, right now, that we'll call it a superbloom,' Daniel Winkler, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, told the Los Angeles Times. 

Locals call those who come to view the tiny wildflowers from their cars 'flower peepers.' 

But some focal points for flower tourism, including Lake Elsinore with its golden poppies, are telling visitors to stay away this year after they were harmed by crowds in 2019 that trampled over the flowers.

Visitors hike a path to see the California poppies and wildflowers at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, California

A super bloom occurs when warm temperatures follow stretches of winter rain and the explosion of flowers exceeds average spring-time blooms

The beautiful and overwhelming bloom of the wild flowers has attracted tens of thousands of flower-crazed tourists

Over the past two weeks the green hills transformed slowly but surely into poppy fields 

The poppies stretch across the mountains, crop up alongside highways, and transform rolling hills of green into captivating golden slopes

Tourists arrive in the area early in an attempt to beat the crowds 

In February, Lake Elsinore Mayor Natasha Johnson told a press conference where she recounted the chaos of 2019.

'The flowers were beautiful; the scene was a nightmare,' Johnson said.

The poppies are blooming but the canyon where they grow and parking areas are now completely off-limits.

Poppies are found throughout California in spring and summer, but usually not as extensively as the blankets of gold that in 2019 covered slopes near Lake Elsinore, a city of 71,000 in Riverside County about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

The focus of the excessive attention was Walker Canyon, a natural area with a hiking trail located just off heavily traveled Interstate 15.

'Back in 2019 numerous safety incidents occurred on the trail and on our roadways,' Johnson said. 'Tens of thousands of people, as many as 100,000 in a weekend — Disneyland-sized crowds — seeking to experience nature trampled the very habitat that they placed so high in regard and sought to enjoy.'

People illegally parked their cars along the freeway and neighborhoods were so gridlocked that parts of the city were essentially severed, affecting emergency services and the ability of residents to go to stores and work, Johnson said.

People waited for hours in queues to see the canyon and many were unprepared for the hike, resulting in injuries.

California Highway Patrol Lt. Craig Palmer said the agency has already begun saturation patrols of the area, and that freeway shoulders are only for use in emergency situations.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco warned that there will be zero tolerance for parking violations and the result could be a citation, a vehicle being towed or worse.

'It is a misdemeanor infraction, and you're subject to arrest and booking into jail,' Bianco said.

The mayor said Lake Elsinore usually welcomes visitors but the 2019 phenomenon came at a cost that was too high for residents.

Visitors walk to see wildflowers in bloom at Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet, California

Wildflowers are springing up in different landscapes across California – producing spectacular displays

Wildflowers bloom along Henderson Canyon Road in Borrego Springs, California

Visitors walk among the poppy bloom at Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster

Thousands of others have left their vehicles to traipse across the desert and analyze the array of delicate yellow, orange, purple and magenta blooms up close.

'It's really hard as a naturalist to enjoy the places that are overrun with tourists and Instagram models and people that are not used to being out in these places,' Joan Dudney, assistant professor at the department of environmental studies at UC Santa Barbara said.

She noted how visitors are too often 'out there for the spectacle' and 'haven't yet developed a connection with these natural spaces.' 

Beekeepers are particularly hopeful that the superbloom could provide ample forage for bees and potentially translate into a good year for honey. 

Among the blooms are desert sunflowers, lilies and dandelions, poppies, sand verbena, lupine, dune evening primrose, Canterbury bells, monkeyflower, Phacelia and Cryptanth. 

Officials say in addition to traffic problems, people are leaving trails and trampling the flowers

Instagram was filled with super bloom photos of people posing among the flowers

A couple is pictured posing among the flowers as thousands of people flocked to the area for a glimpse of the super bloom

Visitors in their vehicles wait in line to enter the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

The color of the poppies is so vivid it can be seen from mountain tops hundreds of feet above

Among the blooms are desert sunflowers, lilies and dandelions, poppies, sand verbena, lupine, dune evening primrose, Canterbury bells, monkeyflower, Phacelia and Cryptanth

Common Goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis) bloom at Carrizo Plain National Monument

The super bloom is the result of extremely heavy winter rainfall that saw the hillside covered in bright orange poppies

Some meccas for flower tourism, including Lake Elsinore with its golden poppies, were harmed enough by crowds in 2019 that visitors have been warned to stay away this year

A couple pose among the poppies and wildflowers in Antelope Valley, California, Poppy Reserve

Tens of thousands of tourists have been spotted posing and lying among the scores of flowers for their photos

Wildflowers bloom near Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet, California

Wildflowers bloom along Henderson Canyon Road in Borrego Springs, California

Tidy tips (Layia platyglossa) bloom at Carrizo Plain National Monument

As epic rainstorms gradually give way to brighter spring weather, wildflowers have started to bloom at several parks across California

Tens of thousands of tourists have been spotted posing for pictures among the scores of flowers over the last month 

Tourists have been flocking to the area for several weeks to see the super bloom

An Ocotillo blooms along Coyote Canyon in Borrego Springs

The excessive rainfall has also resulted in a rare 'super bloom' of poppies with rain-fed wildflowers suddenly sprouting in the normally arid desert