Atmospheric river

An atmospheric river is a long, narrow region of concentrated water-vapor transport in the atmosphere. It can carry moisture from the tropics toward higher latitudes and produce intense rain or snow when forced upward.

Integrated water vapor transport: The vertically integrated rate and direction of water-vapor transport by atmospheric winds. Atmospheric rivers are identified by unusually strong, concentrated values of this transport.
Atmospheric river scale: A five-category system that ranks atmospheric rivers by water-vapor transport and duration. It distinguishes beneficial events from stronger, potentially hazardous ones.
Pineapple Express: A warm, moisture-rich atmospheric flow that carries tropical Pacific air toward western North America. This familiar regional pattern can deliver atmospheric-river rainfall to California.
Reginald Newell: A meteorologist who studied large-scale atmospheric circulation and global water-vapor transport. His research helped reveal narrow moisture-transport corridors in atmospheric data.
Atmospheric-river drought termination: The ending of drought conditions after one or more atmospheric rivers deliver substantial precipitation. A sequence of moisture-rich storms can rapidly restore depleted reservoirs and soil moisture.
Jet stream: A narrow band of strong winds in the upper troposphere. Its winds steer many atmospheric rivers and help shape their paths.
Quantitative precipitation forecasting: The prediction of how much precipitation will fall over a specified area and period. Forecasts of atmospheric-river rainfall guide flood preparation and reservoir decisions.
California floods of 1862: A prolonged series of storms that inundated California and parts of the western United States in 1861–1862. The floods illustrate the destructive potential of repeated, sustained moisture delivery.
Yong Zhu: An atmospheric scientist who co-developed the atmospheric-river concept in the 1990s. His work with Reginald Newell gave the phenomenon its defining name and framework.
Flash flood: A rapid flood that develops within minutes or hours of intense rainfall or sudden water release. Short, intense atmospheric-river rainfall can overwhelm streams and drainage systems.

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