Recent research highlights the increasing intensity and occurrence of atmospheric rivers, particularly along the West Coast of the United States, attributed to climate change. They draw moisture from oceans, leading to significant rainfall but also posing risks of mudslides and flooding. Findings indicate a 6-9% increase in the affected areas and a 2-6% rise in frequency of these weather patterns since 1980. The study emphasizes that while this aligns with climate change expectations, the full extent of future impacts remains uncertain.
The heavy rain and wind events most known for dousing California and other parts of the West have been getting bigger, wetter and more frequent in the past 45 years as the world warms.
Scientists have long predicted that as climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas makes the air warmer, it holds more moisture, which means bigger, nastier atmospheric rivers are coming in the future.
What's happened already is still small relative to the changes that we think are going to happen in a future warmer world.
While atmospheric rivers can bring much needed rain to drought-struck places, they are often dangerous when they are strong and last long.
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