1a. The Science of Atmospheric Rivers

The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) was founded in 2013 specifically to study Atmospheric River (ARs). Since then, research at CW3E has greatly improved our understanding of how these storm systems form and propagate towards the US West Coast. While ARs supply 50% or more of normal yearly precipitation to this region, they are also responsible for extreme precipitation and flooding.

The first video in this series is a general overview of ARs. It explains where they typically form, why they are important to study, and introduces some of the real-time tools CW3E has generated to better forecast ARs and create situational awareness of upcoming events.