Climate and Weather 0 of 1 minute, 8 secondsVolume 90% At a Glance A new study shows that atmospheric rivers will become stronger and more impactful due to climate change. Atmospheric rivers are responsible for roughly half the annual rainfall for the West Coast. Impacts due to changes in atmospheric rivers will be felt more in the Pacific Northwest compared to Southern California. Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists. As atmospheric rivers take aim at the West Coast, not all impacts are the same. Some events bring beneficial rain and snow, while others unleash deadly flooding and landslides. We now know that climate change will also have a hand in how these rivers of moisture come onshore and it’s not a uniform change from one end of the coast to the other. Kevin Ozorkiewicz, left, and neighbor John Phillips row a canoe at the flooded Mirabel RV Park & Campground after an atmospheric river event in Forestville, Calif., Sonoma County, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) What’s An Atmospheric River? An atmospheric river is a long plume of moisture that is transported by tropical winds, often thousands of miles long. They are responsible for roughly half of the yearly rainfall in the West and can produce up to 100 inches of snowfall for the Cascades and Sierra Mountains in less than a week. The amount of water they move is mindblowing – a strong atmospheric river can transport as much water vapor as up to 15 times the average flow of liquid water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. They are also not exclusive to the West Coast of the U.S. – they can happen all over the […]