Flooding, mudslides, heavy rains and strong winds have wreaked havoc on the Pacific Northwest and parts of Canada. Experts blame atmospheric rivers.
Those events occurred after an atmospheric river reached a level 5, which is the highest level, according to the Weather Channel.
An atmospheric river is being blamed for the recent torrential rain that led to mudslides and flooding in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Above, flooding on Highway 1 near Abbotsford in Chilliwack, British Columbia, on Tuesday.As the name suggests, atmospheric rivers can be thought of as rivers in the sky. More accurately, they are long ribbons of water vapor in the atmosphere that extend thousands of miles from the tropics and subtropics to the poles.
The NOAA also said atmospheric rivers come in"many shapes and sizes" that often appear as clouds to the human eye. One of the most well-known atmospheric rivers is the strong"Pineapple Express," which carries moisture from the tropics near Hawaii over to the Western coast of the U.S. Atmospheric rivers that hold large amounts of water vapor and carry strong winds can"create extreme rainfall and floods, often by stalling over watersheds vulnerable to flooding," according to the NOAA.
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