The New York Times recently tweeted a statement about the succession of atmospheric river storms that hit the Western states from late December to January, and again in March. According to their tweet, these storms were largely responsible for dumping record amounts of snow across much of the West.
Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of moisture that move with the weather patterns. They can carry as much water as 15 times the average flow at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When they make landfall, they often bring heavy rain and snowfall to areas that can result in flooding and landslides.
The impact of these atmospheric rivers is not new to residents of California. In 2017, a particularly powerful storm dubbed “The Pineapple Express,” brought intense rainfall and winds across Northern California causing major flooding and mudslides. The storm caused millions in damages and resulted in several deaths.
This year’s succession of atmospheric river storms has been no less impactful on Western states such as Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington state among others. For instance, Seattle was hit by a historic winter storm this February which saw over 20 inches (50cm) fall within two days – more than half its annual average.
However, it is important to note that while these events may seem unprecedented or unique due to their scale or frequency they are not unusual weather phenomena per se but rather part of natural variability observed over time.
While some scientists attribute recent increases in extremes like those seen earlier this year along much of America’s west coast as evidence climate change is exacerbating such events; there remains debate among experts regarding how much climate change will affect future precipitation patterns though most agree increased greenhouse gas emissions are likely contributing factors.
In conclusion, while many Western States have experienced record-breaking snowfall due to a series of atmospheric river storms from December through January with another wave hitting them again last month; it is important we acknowledge these weather conditions have occurred throughout history albeit less frequently than in recent years.