atmospheric river

Atmospheric rivers aren't new. Why does it feel like we're hearing about them more?

2:00am November 23, 2024

In recent years, "atmospheric river" has become used much more frequently in scientific papers and in media coverage. According to experts who study climate and weather, a few reasons may explain why.

San Jose: Search and rescue workers check a car trapped in flooding after heavy rain caused the Guadalupe River to overflow its banks, Sunday.

National

Photos: See how the atmospheric river is battering California

2:15am February 05, 2024

Forecasters now say 8 to 15 inches of rain could fall in the mountains and foothills of Southern California.

A car sits partially submerged on a flooded road during a rain storm in Long Beach, Calif., on Thursday.

National

Atmospheric river expected to bring life-threatening floods to Southern California

8:38am February 03, 2024

by NPR Staff

The National Weather Service warns the storm could drop unprecedented rain over a wide area from Saturday night through early next week, with the period of most concern from Sunday into early Monday.

Members of the California Army National Guard Joint Task Force Rattlesnake shovel snow from a rooftop after a series of winter storms dropped more than 100 inches of snow in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California on March 8, 2023 in Crestline, California.

National

More rain and snow bound for California as back-to-back atmospheric rivers approach

2:16am March 09, 2023

by Ashley Westerman

Forecasters say the result could be massive flooding and a potential for avalanches across stretches of the state.

A truck is driven through a flooded intersection of Salinas, Calif., on Tuesday. The first in a week of storms brought gusty winds, rain and snow to California on Tuesday, starting in the north and spreading southward.

National

What is an atmospheric river, responsible for the heavy rainfall on the West Coast?

4:36pm December 28, 2022

by Ashley Ahn

An atmospheric river is a relatively narrow channel of wind, hence the "river," that transports water vapor from the tropics to the West Coast, where it's producing rain and heavy winds.

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