Southern California will catch the bottom edge of an atmospheric river that’s expected to stick around from late Thursday until early Saturday. While Northern California will be inundated, the only big flooding concern here is in Santa Barbara County.
So, what’s an atmospheric river?
Atmospheric rivers are responsible for bringing substantial precipitation to California.
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
/
https://www.noaa.gov/stories/what-are-atmospheric-rivers)
These types of storms are
typically what we
see during our rainy season — long bands of moisture flowing in from the Pacific that drop a lot of water on California. In a normal year, just a few of these storms can be responsible for the vast majority of our precipitation.
What’s next
There’s a slight concern that this storm — much warmer than the last — will melt snowpack at lower elevations and increase flood risk.
Storm update for the Thu – Sat timeframe!
Forecast rainfall is trending a bit higher across the region. Small stream and river flooding is possible, especially for SLO & SBA Counties. Snow melt will increase the avalanche threat where deep snow persists. pic.twitter.com/Nqo01VNUH3
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) March 7, 2023
And even if we make it through unscathed this time around, the risk will rise yet…
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