Atmospheric Rivers Unleashed: How Climate Change Is Reshaping West Coast Storms

[erronis]

https://scitechdaily.com/atmospheric-rivers-unleashed-how-climate-change-is-reshaping-west-coast-storms/

As the planet warms, atmospheric rivers, those mighty storms that sweep across the West Coast, are undergoing transformative changes.

New research reveals that these storms will intensify differently in Southern California compared to the Pacific Northwest, bringing about varied regional impacts such as heightened flood risks and more intense storm surges.

Atmospheric Rivers and Climate Impact

Communities across the West Coast of the United States are likely to see significant changes in the powerful storms known as atmospheric rivers as the climate continues to warm. However, the effects will vary widely between regions. Southern California will experience one set of changes, while more northerly areas like Seattle will face a very different storm evolution.

Recent research led by scientists at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) reveals that warming conditions will amplify ocean evaporation, leading to substantial changes in atmospheric rivers in Southern California. In contrast, atmospheric rivers farther north will be shaped more by increasing temperatures in both the atmosphere and the ocean.

...

Could be some unexpected rough weather ahead.

[Nictuku]

1. What a great time to de-fund NOAA

/sarcasm off

I am such a cynic these days.

[erronis]

2. Didn't trump talk about giving the NWS (or perhaps NOAA) to the Accuweather CEO?

Getting rid of all those free weather reports and tornado warnings. Let the peasants pay for them!

[Nictuku]

6. I had not heard that

Interestingly enough, I actually used to work for AccuWeather in PA. (State College). It was at their new facility (this is 20+ years ago now) where they had just partnered with MSN (this was even before MSNBC).

I wouldn't be surprised if the Accuweather CEO is a MAGA, mainly because out of 800 people that worked there at the time, I only ever saw pasty white people working there. There was one person who was from India, and I don't think there were any black employees. I grew up in Hawaii and on the west coast, and I had never worked in a place that basically only had white people working there. Boy was I glad to come back to the Bay Area.

My understanding is, Accuweather used data from NOAA for access to all their weather data, they then implement the data with their own maps, and then sell that to television stations. I am not sure if they had to pay a fee, as NOAA is a government program. I think the data was free to whoever wanted it, but Accuweather packaged it up with their moving maps and such.

If NOAA was 'given' to Accuweather, then all the other companies that do the same thing with weather maps from NOAA data would have to buy it from Accuweather.

Welcome to Oligarchy I guess. What a horrible thought.

[erronis]

7. Here is an older (2017) and more recent (Project 2025) articles

https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/14/politics/noaa-nominee-accuweather/index.html

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fact-checking-what-project-2025-says-about-the-national-weather-service-and-noaa

Sorry!

[Nictuku]

8. Thank you so much for posting those articles!

OMG! It is probably worse than I suspected.

Accuweather is going to make all the other competitors pay for the data that has been provided to the public for free BECAUSE OUR TAX DOLLARS PAID FOR THE SATELLITES THAT PROVIDE IT

They want to privatize it. Our world is so sick.

Sometimes ..... uh, I won't say it, but I can't make the thought bubbles go away. I'll just say it this way, I'm glad I'm old, and I'm glad I don't have any children.

[3auld6phart]

9. Thanks

I’ve winndered about Accuweather.

[Stargazer99]

3. I live in the NW and we have had two exceptional intense wind storms so here it comes!!!!!!!!!!!

[Faux pas]

4. Kickin'

[FirstLight]

5. So far, this year's La Nina has been a really different one...

The storms are hitting the North harder and the south less. Here in Tahoe, it's like a definitive split, storms are worse in Incline Village and to the North of us, while here on South Shore, we're getting less accumulation, more rain, less all around...

I personally don't mind the trend of it snowing more above 7000' and raining here at Lake Lavel... makes my life easier!
But the water is more likely to run off, and then we won't have the slow melt over Summer as we did before, so it could lead to more drought or loss of water... IDK, we'll see what the lake level looks like at the end of the season.