AccuWeather's October 14 meteorological report said atmospheric rivers are expected to "flood the US West Coast" this winter, as the region faced a series of atmospheric rivers that caused devastating flooding and mudslides last year.
atmospheric rivers are a long, narrow area in the atmosphere like rivers in the sky that carries much of its steam out of the tropics, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Meteorologists predict that the first half of winter will produce atmospheric rivers in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California before storms move inland over the Rocky Mountains. However, a major change is expected as 2025.
Paul pastelok, senior meteorologist and long-range expert at AccuWeather, said the new weather pattern will create favorable conditions for storms to move south and affect Central and Southern California.
Meteorologists predict January will be the driest month of the year for Los Angeles and San Diego. Other cities across the Southwest will experience wet weather as storms move inland.
AccuWeather's report predicts that storm models will move back to Northern California in February.
Atmospheric rivers became more popular in the El Nino climate model last winter. La Nina is expected this winter, although the climate pattern is expected to be weak, it could affect weather on the West Coast.
AccuWeather said that although the La Nina climate model is not known for regular atmospheric rivers, a weak La Nina winter in 2022-2023 has created nearly 40 atmospheric rivers across the western United States.
past pastelok expects the coming winter to be similar to 2022-2023 in terms of atmospheric rivers, but it is forecast to change if water temperatures in the Pacific change dramatically. If the warmest waters shift east, California could experience a dry, warm winter similar to the winter of 2013-2014.
Outside of California, AccuWeather expects a slightly warmer-than-normal winter in most of the rest of the US, although the Pacific Northwest and inland states such as Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are expected to have cooler-than-normal winters.
atmospheric rivers are a global climate phenomenon, according to American climate scientists Anna Wilson. It can happen anywhere and sometimes just one stream can extend across many countries. The frequency of atmospheric rivers by the end of this century is likely to nearly double compared to the present.
The more frequent and larger the atmospheric river, the more likely it is to have more and stronger floods. In East Asia, 90% of floods are caused by atmospheric rivers.
