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News Articles: atmospheric river

An atmospheric river that hit Los Angeles in February 2024 caused mudslides and flooding, dumping months-worth of rain in a single day. Another one is headed to Southern California now.

Tagged as: 

  • Climate

An atmospheric river is coming to California. It could bring risks of debris flows

The weather phenomena are common for California winters, but they could cause dangerous debris flows or mudslides in recently burned areas.

February 13, 2025
|
By:
  • Alejandra Borunda
An aerial view of the Los Angeles River swollen by runoff from a long-duration atmospheric river storm in February of 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Tagged as: 

  • National

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

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.

November 23, 2024
|
By:
  • Danielle Venton
San Jose: Search and rescue workers check a car trapped in flooding after heavy rain caused the Guadalupe River to overflow its banks, Sunday.

Tagged as: 

  • Weather

Photos: See how the atmospheric river is battering California

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

February 05, 2024
|
By:
  • Nicole Werbeck and
  • Nate Rott
A car sits partially submerged on a flooded road during a rain storm in Long Beach, Calif., on Thursday.

Tagged as: 

  • Weather

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

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.

February 03, 2024
|
By:
  • NPR Staff
An aerial view shows a man navigating floodwaters with his bicycle in the unincorporated community of Pajaro in California on March 11. Residents were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night after an atmospheric river surge broke the Pajaro Levee and sent flood waters flowing into the community.

Tagged as: 

  • Weather

A waterlogged California is bracing for yet another atmospheric river

Another atmospheric river set to arrive Monday could worsen already severe flooding, as the extra rain and snowmelt threaten to overflow rivers and streams at lower elevations.

March 13, 2023
|
By:
  • Kaitlyn Radde
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.

Tagged as: 

  • Weather

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

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

March 09, 2023
|
By:
  • Ashley Westerman
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.

Tagged as: 

  • Weather

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

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.

December 28, 2022
|
By:
  • Ashley Ahn
Caltrans maintenance supervisor Matt Martin walks by a landslide covering Highway 70 in the Dixie Fire zone Sunday in Plumas County, Calif. Heavy rains blanketing Northern California created slide and flood hazards in land scorched during last summer's wildfires.

Tagged as: 

  • Weather

A historic storm brings heavy rain, flooding and mud flows to Northern California

Flooding was reported across the San Francisco Bay Area while the National Weather Service's Sacramento office warned of "potentially historic rain."

October 25, 2021
|
By:
  • The Associated Press and
  • Jaclyn Diaz

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