scholarly journals Genesis locations of the costliest atmospheric rivers impacting the Western United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamish D Prince ◽  
Peter B Gibson ◽  
Michael J DeFlorio ◽  
Thomas Corringham ◽  
Alison Cobb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers

Genesis Locations of the Costliest Atmospheric Rivers Impacting the Western United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamish D. Prince ◽  
Peter B. Gibson ◽  
Michael J. DeFlorio ◽  
Thomas W Corringham ◽  
Alison Cobb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers

scholarly journals Influence of Atmospheric Rivers on Mountain Snowpack in the Western United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (24) ◽  
pp. 9921-9940 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Goldenson ◽  
L. R. Leung ◽  
C. M. Bitz ◽  
E. Blanchard-Wrigglesworth
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Atmospheric River ◽  
The Impact

In the coastal mountains of western North America, most extreme precipitation is associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs), narrow bands of moisture originating in the tropics. Here we quantify how interannual variability in atmospheric rivers influences snowpack in the western United States in observations and a model. We simulate the historical climate with the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) with physics from the Community Atmosphere Model, version 5 [CAM5 (MPAS-CAM5)], using prescribed sea surface temperatures. In the global variable-resolution domain, regional refinement (at ~30 km) is applied to our region of interest and upwind over the northeast Pacific. To better characterize internal variability, we conduct simulations with three ensemble members over 30 years of the historical period. In the Cascade Range, with some exceptions, winters with more atmospheric river days are associated with less snowpack. In California’s Sierra Nevada, winters with more ARs are associated with greater snowpack. The slope of the linear regression of observed snow water equivalent (SWE) on reanalysis-based AR count has the same sign as that arrived at using the model, but is statistically significant in observations only for California. In spring, internal variance plays an important role in determining whether atmospheric river days appear to be associated with greater or less snowpack. The cumulative (winter through spring) number of atmospheric river days, on the other hand, has a relationship with spring snowpack, which is consistent across ensemble members. Thus, the impact of atmospheric rivers on winter snowpack has a greater influence on spring snowpack than spring atmospheric rivers in the model for both regions and in California consistently in observations.

Avalanche Fatalities during Atmospheric River Events in the Western United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 1359-1374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Hatchett ◽  
Susan Burak ◽  
Jonathan J. Rutz ◽  
Nina S. Oakley ◽  
Edward H. Bair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Vapor ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Vapor Transport ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Snow Avalanche ◽  
Water Vapor Transport ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Avalanche Forecasting ◽  
Snow Water

Abstract The occurrence of atmospheric rivers (ARs) in association with avalanche fatalities is evaluated in the conterminous western United States between 1998 and 2014 using archived avalanche reports, atmospheric reanalysis products, an existing AR catalog, and weather station observations. AR conditions were present during or preceding 105 unique avalanche incidents resulting in 123 fatalities, thus comprising 31% of western U.S. avalanche fatalities. Coastal snow avalanche climates had the highest percentage of avalanche fatalities coinciding with AR conditions (31%–65%), followed by intermountain (25%–46%) and continental snow avalanche climates (<25%). Ratios of avalanche deaths during AR conditions to total AR days increased with distance from the coast. Frequent heavy to extreme precipitation (85th–99th percentile) during ARs favored critical snowpack loading rates with mean snow water equivalent increases of 46 mm. Results demonstrate that there exists regional consistency between snow avalanche climates, derived AR contributions to cool season precipitation, and percentages of avalanche fatalities during ARs. The intensity of water vapor transport and topographic corridors favoring inland water vapor transport may be used to help identify periods of increased avalanche hazard in intermountain and continental snow avalanche climates prior to AR landfall. Several recently developed AR forecast tools applicable to avalanche forecasting are highlighted.

Experimental Subseasonal‐to‐Seasonal (S2S) Forecasting of Atmospheric Rivers Over the Western United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 11242-11265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. DeFlorio ◽  
Duane E. Waliser ◽  
F. Martin Ralph ◽  
Bin Guan ◽  
Alexander Goodman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers

scholarly journals Mixed populations and annual flood frequency estimates in the western United States: The role of atmospheric rivers

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 257-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy A. Barth ◽  
Gabriele Villarini ◽  
Munir A. Nayak ◽  
Kathleen White
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Flood Frequency ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Mixed Populations

scholarly journals Sources of subseasonal‐to‐seasonal predictability of atmospheric rivers and precipitation in the western United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huanping Huang ◽  
Christina M. Patricola ◽  
Emily Bercos‐Hickey ◽  
Yang Zhou ◽  
Alan Rhoades ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Seasonal Predictability ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers

scholarly journals Improved Prediction of Atmospheric Rivers That Drive Flood Damages in the Western United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cary A. Talbot ◽  
Tom Corringham ◽  
F. Martin Ralph ◽  
Alexander Gershunov ◽  
Daniel R. Cayan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Flood Damages

scholarly journals Atmospheric rivers drive flood damages in the western United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. eaax4631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Corringham ◽  
F. Martin Ralph ◽  
Alexander Gershunov ◽  
Daniel R. Cayan ◽  
Cary A. Talbot
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
The United States ◽  
Flood Damage ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Flood Insurance ◽  
The West ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers ◽  
Insurance Program ◽  
Flood Damages

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are extratropical storms that produce extreme precipitation on the west coasts of the world’s major landmasses. In the United States, ARs cause significant flooding, yet their economic impacts have not been quantified. Here, using 40 years of data from the National Flood Insurance Program, we show that ARs are the primary drivers of flood damages in the western United States. Using a recently developed AR scale, which varies from category 1 to 5, we find that flood damages increase exponentially with AR intensity and duration: Each increase in category corresponds to a roughly 10-fold increase in damages. Category 4 and 5 ARs cause median damages in the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars, respectively. Rising population, increased development, and climate change are expected to worsen the risk of AR-driven flood damage in future decades.

scholarly journals Quantifying the role of atmospheric rivers in the interior western United States

2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Rutz ◽  
W. James Steenburgh
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Atmospheric Rivers
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