What is an atmospheric river? A hydrologist explains the good and bad of these flood-prone storms and how they’re changing
- Written by Qian Cao, Hydrologist, Center For Western Weather and Water Extremes, University of California, San Diego
A satellite image shows a powerful atmospheric river hitting the Pacific Northwest in December 2023. Darker greens are more water vapor.Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth ObservatoryA series of atmospheric rivers is bringing the threat of heavy downpours, flooding, mudslides and avalanches to the Pacific Northwest and California this week. While these...