While the recent re-integration systems for the region may seem like a broken record, the phenomenon is indeed remarkable.
Rivers in the sky have led to landslides blocking roads, flooding towns, and in one case, turning old lake beds back into lakes.
British Columbia typically sees atmospheric river events in November, like the Pacific Northwest. The problem for both regions this year was the consistency of the systems, with no breaks between dryings.
Environment Canada meteorologist Johnson Zhong said: “The first atmospheric river event hit us on November 13-16 and it dumped a lot, 150-300 mm (approx. 6 to 11 inches), rainfall in less than 48 hours. speak.
There was also rain on the white snow, which aggravated the flooding.
He observed “Up to 30-50 cm (1-1.5 feet) of new snow at 1500-2500 meters (5,000-8,000 feet)”. “One of the river events in our atmosphere pours rain at an altitude of more than 2500 meters, so the rain melts the snow and creates flooding.”
One of the most flooded areas was the Sumas area, about 50 miles east of Vancouver.
Zhong explained: “A hundred years ago, there was a Sumas lake. Then they pumped the water out to create good farmlands. It has been farmland for the past 100 years, and now it is again. a lake”.
He added that more than half of Vancouver’s egg and dairy supply comes from that farmland, which has hit the area particularly hard.
Unprecedented rainfall has created massive floods, washing away bridges and roads, and completely cutting many other small Canadian towns from the rest of the world.
Merritt, British Columbia, is one of those towns.
“Merritt is a town of 7,000 people and completely flooded,” said Zhong. “That town was in an area that didn’t get a lot of rain. But with a combination of rain and snow melt, the entire town was flooded. The water and sewage systems failed and the entire town had to be evacuated. .”
British Columbia has suffered a lot since the summer months.
Zhong points out that bushfire burns also make the possibility of floods and mudslides worse.
Mud and landslides are a major concern for both British Columbia and Washington.
“Consistent rainfall over the past few weeks has dramatically increased soil moisture to high levels in western Washington,” said the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Seattle. “An extra 1 to 3 inches of heavy rainfall in the mountains and up to 1.5 inches in the lowlands has decreased in the last 24 hours. As a result, the increased threat of landslides will continue into today. although the heaviest rainfall is coming to an end.”
In the Seattle area, which is also soaking wet, they hope the rain doesn’t come all at once.
Seattle is experiencing its wettest fall on record. Seattle-Tacoma Airport recorded 18.91 inches of rain September through November, and more is on the way.
On Tuesday, the month could end as one of the wettest Novembers on record. With 2 to 3 inches of extra rain expected to decrease, more flooding is inevitable.
“The big factor that will affect the range of impacts is expected to be the amount of damage we receive in areas where river flooding continues today,” notes the NWS in Seattle. NWS in Seattle emphasized.
The Nooksack and Skagit rivers, north of Seattle, are still rising and have not peaked, so more rainfall on the already-raised rivers could cause major flooding problems for nearby towns.
NWS Seattle added: “It remains unclear how rivers in these areas will respond to additional rainfall over the next two days.
Climate impact on atmospheric rivers
Marty Ralph, director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, said the climate crisis may be increasing atmospheric rivers in the West.
“In general, warmer atmospheric temperatures will mean higher freezing levels than in the past,” Ralph told CNN. “But while hurricanes vary, even in the absence of climate change and some may be warmer, due to natural circumstances alone, it is clear that background warming will increase [freezing] level. “
Higher freezing levels, the altitude at which rain turns to snow, can be dangerous with wet landscapes and teeming rivers, Ralph explains.
“This adds to the potential for impact,” he said. “The rivers are already high again, so this one will pack a wall.”
Warmer air can also contain more water vapor, which fuels atmospheric rivers. As the atmosphere warms due to climate change, Ralph notes, the intensity of storms is likely to increase and become more dangerous.
“As a scientist, my role is to help raise awareness that what’s going on is like going from strong to extreme. [atmospheric river], and the consequences of that are more heavy rain and – with the situation on land – flooding,” he said. People should really look to their normal weather provider for hazardous situations for specific instructions on what to do, because it seems to me that this is quite a situation. serious. “
Storm season summary
The last day of the Atlantic hurricane season is tomorrow, and that’s the date in the record books.
With 21 named storms, this is only the third year that the list of rotating seasonal names has been exhausted.
A new supplemental list of hurricane names has been issued, never-before-seen footage of a major storm was recorded from sea level, and billions of dollars of damage was left behind.
Snow lake effect
Another lake-effect snow event will affect parts of the Great Lakes this week.
With the freezing rate of lakes less than 2%, the lake effect snow generator is officially “on”.
Most areas that receive snow will not have a very high total. Most of the snow this week will be under 3 inches.
However, in some areas of Michigan, it can cause some travel difficulties. The NWS office in Grand Rapids has issued a winter weather notice, which is expected to see heavy snowfall during the evening commute. Snow can fall up to 3 inches thick in less than 4 hours.
The NWS office in Grand Rapids said: “The impact on roads is likely to be small at first with initial temperatures above freezing, but we should start to see some slippery roads develop after dark. ” said the NWS office in Grand Rapids.
The snow will end on Tuesday, with drier conditions expected over the next few days.
California Fire Threat Remains
An increased fire threat remained in much of southern California for most of the week.
Winds around the Los Angeles area will gust up to 45 mph at times, and humidity is in the 5-15% range. Warm, dry conditions will increase fire risk throughout the week.
The NWS office in Los Angeles warned: “A rapid flare-up is possible if a fire starts. Use extreme caution with potential sources of fire and prepare to evacuate quickly if a wildfire breaks out nearby.” , the NWS office in Los Angeles recommends.
While the wind threat this week isn’t nearly as intense as last week, the fire threat remains and fires could easily break out.
Real and fake Christmas trees
As the holidays kick in and millions of people are pulling on Christmas lights, precious decorations and picking out the perfect Christmas tree. Are you a fan of real or fake plants? Is it better to cut down a fresh tree every year or buy a plastic tree from the store to use for years to come?
Snow bar
Congratulations! Britain’s highest-altitude pub continues to pour alcohol and customers are fed, after dozens of tourists were stranded for several days. A massive winter storm brought with it 90 mph winds and snowfall leaving pub customers stranded. For some, it can feel like a dream come true. The tavern kept the temporary residents well fed, and no one had quenched their thirst as the beer continued to flow.
CNN meteorologists Haley Brink and Rachel Ramirez contributed to this weather column.
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