Southern California Hit by Second Consecutive Atmospheric River

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Facts

  • Southern California on Monday was hit by a second consecutive rain storm known as an 'atmospheric river' — a narrow collection of moisture that collects over the ocean and can stretch for long distances across the sky — putting 1.4M people in the Los Angeles area under a flash-flood warning and causing flooded roadways and a loss of electrical power.1
  • Last week, the first atmospheric river hit Northern California with winds of up to 60 mph (96 km/hr) knocking down trees and electrical lines. In the mountains, some wind gusts exceeded 80 mph (128 km/hr).1
  • Downtown Los Angeles received 4.1 inches (10.4 cm) of rain Sunday — the city's wettest day since 2004. Rain in Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California was expected to continue throughout Monday.2
  • As the foothills and mountains are expected to receive up to 15 inches (38.1 cm) of rain, and up to six inches (15.2 cm) in coastal areas and valleys, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in eight counties.3
  • This storm is the latest in the so-called 'Pineapple Express' — which gets its name because its plume of moisture starts near Hawaii — which began when 1 to 6 inches (2.5 - 15.2 cm) of rain saturated the state last Wednesday and Thursday.4

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Accuweather, 3Guardian and 4USA Today.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Los Angeles Times. What was once seen as a weather event that would happen once in a thousand years has now happened in consecutive months, and anthropogenic climate change is to blame. The oceans have warmed to record levels and are now combining with El Niño to create these catastrophic weather events. This is why it's time for those on the right side of the political aisle to take climate change seriously.
  • Right narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. A little more than a year ago, the Golden State was relieved that several atmospheric rivers cured its historic drought. So, now that the climate has shifted to rainier winters, it's time for left-wing politicians who are too focused on an amorphous term like climate change — and the suggestion to harm energy security — to put more effort into building the physical infrastructure to mitigate harms from wetter weather.