Sentences with phrase «atmospheric rivers hit»

Why It Matters: On average, atmospheric rivers hit the western United States only a few times each winter, but they transport significant amounts of moisture that converges in the mountains producing heavy precipitation.

When atmospheric rivers hit land, they bring more than a third of the rainfall that the western states typically receive in the course of an entire year.

Not exact matches

That is because atmospheric rivers (see sidebar) often produce heavy, cold season precipitation and flooding when they hit the west coast of North America.

Prior to these papers» publication in the journal Monthly Weather Review, Schneider says, meteorologists knew that the moisture hitting land came from storms in the Pacific, but they did not understand the role atmospheric rivers played in delivering huge amounts of precipitation.

The second storm, fueled by a powerful, long - duration atmospheric river funneling warm and moist air from southeast of Hawaii, hit central and northern California beginning late on January 7 and pushed major rivers past flood stage levels and drove extreme gusts, leading to power outages as well as rock and mudslides.

The second atmospheric river storm hit late on January 7, causing a prolonged period of heavy rainfall.