Sometimes called 'rivers in the sky,' atmospheric rivers are a major factor in extreme rain and snowfall in the West. They can carry huge amounts of water over thousands of miles.
Atmospheric rivers are a major factor in extreme rain and snowfall in the West.began pummeling the California coast on Wednesday
In the Northern Hemisphere, atmospheric rivers typically occur during the winter. They cause the most extreme rain, snow and flooding when they are associated with systems that slow or stall.What is an atmospheric river? Atmospheric rivers function much like rivers on the surface but can carry even more water than the mighty Mississippi River.
The latest rains are likely to alleviate the short-term drought in northern California along the coast but will do little in terms of bringing drought relief to the West as a whole. Though beneficial for water supplies, such events can wreak havoc on travel, bring deadly mudslides and cause catastrophic damage to life and property, NOAA said.
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