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Beginning in late December 2022, a series of "atmospheric rivers"

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dumped heavy rain and mountain snow across the western U.S. and Canada.

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The San Francisco Bay area has experienced 
its wettest three-week period in 160 years.

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Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow belts of moisture that move through the atmosphere.

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They can deliver tremendous amounts of rain and high-elevation snow.

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This deluge of rain can provide relief for drought-ridden areas, but also trigger flash flooding and mudslides.

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Approximately 250-375 miles wide on average, atmospheric rivers move with 

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the weather pattern and are present at any time on Earth.

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They represent a critical water supply for the U.S. West Coast, providing 30-50% of annual rainfall.

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NOAA satellites monitor these rivers in the sky as they make their way over the West Coast.

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GOES West provides detailed information about moisture in the atmosphere

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and allows forecasters to track atmospheric rivers as they happen.

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Satellite imagery can also identify boundaries between different air masses.

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Microwave sounding instruments on the JPSS satellites allow scientists to see through

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the cloud cover and probe the atmosphere vertically, 
to collect multi-layered data on temperature and moisture.

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The data allows forecasters to give advanced warnings on heavy rain and snow.

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NOAA satellites provide critical data for forecasting atmospheric weather

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events and monitoring the weather conditions they bring.

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Earth from Orbit: Atmospheric Rivers Hit the West Coast

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Additional imagery courtesy of CIMSS, NASA's SVS, the NOAA Visualization Lab and NOAA STAR.

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