"In general, this allows the most intense downpours to get more intense, because there can be a greater amount of water vapor in the air," UCLA atmospheric scientist Karen McKinnon said. "However, it's not yet clear if we are seeing this signal in the Western U.S. and California, although we do expect to see it in the future."
Much of the precipitation in California and the West comes from major storms called atmospheric rivers that sweep in from the Pacific. Scientists have projected that atmospheric rivers will grow more potent as temperatures continue to rise, and will become an even more dominant driver of California's water supplies and flooding.
[
add
]
[
|
|
...
]