California Heavy Rain Falls Causes Flooding

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California
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What Caused The Flooding?

California floodings were caused by heavy rainfall, and millions of people in the state are on flood alerts. Additionally, water disasters are becoming more intense. Furthermore, the new storm could cause damage and flooding in places. Both search and rescue teams have been in use to work 24 hours during the flooding. Two hundred people have been rescued in Monterey Country. Eight-hundred homes have been impacted in the area. Rescue crews have taken many residents from flood water over the past week.

Atmospheric Rivers

Scientists have recently got a better understanding of the atmospheric rivers in West Coast storm events and studied them affecting other countries of the world.

An atmospheric river can carry an amount of water vapor that is equivalent to 7.5 to 15 times the average flow of liquid water at the begging of the Mississippi river. Atmospheric rivers are long and narrow highways of humidity. They are found at 10,000 to 15,000 feet above the surface. In the past few months, hurricane hunters performed by Air Force and NOAA have investigated atmospheric rivers over the pacific ocean. They have provided data for computer models to be removed from their projections.

Climate 

Climate change adds more humidity to atmospheric rivers, helping to put higher rain and snow. This occurred because ocean temperatures are increasing heat and moisture to be moved into the atmosphere and open to storm systems. Cali is in a long-term drought, because of its useless groundwater supplies. Individual storms apart from atmospheric rivers can pull more water vapors, damaging rain ad snowfalls more than usual. In the process of each 1°C (1.8°F) rises in air temperatures, a certain air mass can hold at least 7% more moisture.

Written by Markita Thomas

Sources :

CNN: Treacherous flooding is about to get worse in California as another atmospheric river closes in on storm-battered residents

Atmospheric river: The weather phenomenon behind California Floods

Top and Featured Image by Pete Fickenscher, NOAA/NWS/WR/RFC Sacramento Courtesy of NOAA Photo Library Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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