‘Travel is likely to be impacted’
National Weather Service meteorologists are monitoring an event developing over the Pacific Ocean that will hit the West Coast by the end of the week. California and parts of the Pacific Northwest are expected to be hammered by an atmospheric river that could bring flooding rain and heavy mountain snow to the American West late this week, and could continue into early next week.
“We’ve had systems that have the characteristics of atmospheric rivers, but this and potentially the next one will be an active pattern, will have the true characteristics of an atmospheric river,” NWS meteorologist Joshua Wood said. explained To Newsweek.
“Travel is likely to be impacted by snow, rain and wind,” the Weather Prediction Center said warned. “In addition to the potential for river flooding, flooding of small streams and cities is also possible. Interests should continue to monitor the forecast as the situation evolves.”
Rain and mountain snow will move from Western Washington to Northern California late Thursday. WPC’s U.S. Hazard Outlook for Thursday through Monday highlights not only heavy rainfall but also the significant wave and wind threat along the coasts of Washington, Oregon and Northern California.
Atmospheric rivers are narrow but powerful moisture clouds that carry most of the world’s water vapor out of the tropics. They are like an atmospheric firehose that fuels storm systems that release copious amounts of moisture.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states, “Although atmospheric rivers vary greatly in size and strength, the average atmospheric river carries an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average water flow at the mouth of the Mississippi River.” notes. The most intense atmospheric river events can transport up to 15 times this amount of moisture.
This moisture can overload atmospheric rivers, making them more efficient producers of precipitation, increasing the risk of mudslides and power outages.
“Hot air holds more moisture, increasing the potential for heavy precipitation in a warming climate.” based on to researchers at the nonprofit Climate Center. “For every 1 degree Fahrenheit of warming, the air can hold an extra 4% moisture. The U.S. has already warmed 2.6 F since 1970, which means our atmosphere can hold an average of 10% more moisture.”
More moisture in warm air can increase total atmospheric river precipitation. Research suggests that this thermodynamic relationship could lead to future increases in total precipitation during atmospheric river storms in California.
“As human-caused climate change continues to warm the planet, the number of days experiencing atmospheric rivers in the Western U.S. is projected to increase,” the Department of Agriculture said. warns. “Some studies show that these rivers are expected to become 25% longer and wider, meaning more rain will fall on more areas for longer. Therefore, heavy rainfall and extreme winds from these rivers will increase. This also means that the number of atmospheric rivers causing damage will increase.”
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