By Daniel Vega
As I am sure many of you have noticed, California has had an unusually large amount of rain this past winter. The reason for these bipolar weather patterns is due to something called an atmospheric river. California has been hit with an astounding 14 atmospheric rivers since December. These atmospheric rivers have not only brought lots of rain, but also have caused colder temperatures resulting in hail and as many of you may remember, snow!
An atmospheric river is a large body of moisture that forms in the atmosphere. These rivers usually form over the ocean, as ocean water evaporates it organizes itself into these large bodies of moisture that then flow over the mainland and drop their water, leading to mass amounts of precipitation being dropped over a region in a short period of time. While this uptake in rain is definitely good for California after the infamous drought we have been experiencing, this rain also comes with major side effects. Possibly the most obvious side-effect is flooding. With such intense flooding, many homes such as those in Monterey County’s Pajaro were completely flooded, with water getting so high that citizens were ordered to evacuate.
Central California was hit particularly hard by the atmospheric river as well. Not only did The Tulare Lake, a lake that was once completely dried up make a return, but many crops were also flooded. Monterey County - which is widely nicknamed the “salad bowl” as the number one producer of strawberries, raspberries, lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower in the country - also experienced major flooding. In fact much of the crops in this county are completely covered by feet of water. An estimated $330 million in losses is estimated for farmers, and this loss of crops will possibly lead to higher food prices as farms recover and return to farming.
The atmospheric river has also led to unprecedented snow levels in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A survey conducted by the California Department of Water Resources at Phillips Station found a snow depth of 126.5 inches, with snow water at an average of 54 inches. While this large amount of snow will definitely help the water shortage in California as soon as it melts, there is another problem with the snow melting. Such a large amount of snow melting will likely cause devastating flooding for the surrounding regions. The Flood Operations Center at the California Department of Water Resources is already taking steps to minimize the effects of flooding including the employment of flood fight specialists to these regions, providing snowmelt forecasting tools, and distributing sandbags, plastic sheeting, and muscle wall throughout the entire state of California.
The large amounts of rain brought by the atmospheric river certainly came with many different side effects, both negative and positive. Many reservoirs and rivers have been beyond restored, temporarily alleviating some of the water shortage issues faced by Californians. However, flooding and ruined temperatures came hand in hand with the benefits of these atmospheric rivers. Since the last atmospheric river in March, no more are expected. Despite this, it is best to stay prepared. After all, the bipolar California weather we have all come to know has switched up on us before, who's to say it will stop now.
Sources:
LA Times
California Department of Water Resources https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2023/April-23/Snow-Survey-April-2023