"Atmospheric rivers are projected to become wetter, larger and more damaging as temperatures rise".
"In recent weeks, a slew of storms has slammed California, bringing torrential rains and deadly flooding. Storms are typical in the winter, including those associated with atmospheric rivers, or long and wide plumes of water vapor flowing from the tropics. But as Earth warms, climate scientists warn these atmospheric river events may be amplified, bringing even more destruction.
In other words, the recent events could be just a modest preview of what’s to come in warmer years ahead.
The impact of these storms is a paradox. Atmospheric rivers generally provide precipitation critical to a region’s water cycle. These massive rivers, which sometimes carry 15 times the water volume of the Mississippi River, deliver half of the western United States’ total precipitation in less than 15 total days."
Kasha Patel reports for the Washington Post January 12, 2023.
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