A band of moisture from the Pacific Ocean reached the West Coast Thursday, signaling the arrival of an atmospheric river. Weather maps show a corridor of deep tropical moisture stretching from the ocean to the mountains. This atmospheric river is bringing significant changes to California and the Pacific Northwest, from coastal cities to the highest peaks.
What Is an Atmospheric River and Why Does It Matter?
Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow corridors of water vapor—essentially “rivers in the sky”—that carry massive amounts of moisture from the tropics toward the West Coast.
When these plumes make landfall, they can unleash rainfall rivaling the flow at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Some, like the “Pineapple Express,” transport moisture all the way from near Hawaii to…more
Source www.theweather.com
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