ATMOSPHERIC RIVER

It seems the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
 has decided to give different kinds of weather new names to make it more interesting. For example, in Michigan they starting calling the dreaded freezing rain, "wintery mix.'; and "straight line winds" to explain destructive blizzard conditions.  They have always given hurricanes names, but now they are naming Winter storms.  

In California, we are now in the midst of an ATMOSPHERIC RIVER.
They can happen anywhere in the world, outside of the tropics; but they are new to me.  This weather system that generates pummeling, drenching rain & massive amounts of snow is actually, "the flowing of condensed water vapor that moves through the atmosphere & cools. producing heavy amounts of rain & snow.  

ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS can produce flash flooding, especially in wildfire burn areas, high winds & white-out blizzard conditions; but they also increase the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mts.  In fact, our current atmospheric river has produced WINTER STORM ORIENA in the Sierras, where they expect 8 ft  (2.44 meters) of snow. There have been mudslides in the burn areas in Northern California. 

There has been lots of rain in Northern & Central California, but the 
system seems to have stalled in Central California. THE NOAA promises we will see rain Thurs & Fri. here in Southern California.  It snowed in Arizona, so anything is possible.

I call this an "atmospheric tease," because we have grey skies, damp wind & not a drop of rain.  It was supposed to rain all last night & today, but my rain barrel awaits the first drop. 

My Blip is what I envision an ATMOSPHERIC RIVER to look like.  
I hope those clouds bring us lots & lots of rain....