Atmospheric river slams California, but La Niña winter looms
- Andrew Freedman, author of Axios Generate
The extreme atmospheric river pummeling parts of Northern California — attached to a record strong bomb cyclone, no less — may be a poor indicator of how this winter will treat the West.
Why it matters: With much of the West locked in the first climate change-related megadrought, with an especially pronounced dry period since 2020, hopes are pinned on the rain and mountain snow that could fall during the wet season.
What's next: A second consecutive year of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific is in store, and it favors a drier-than-average winter for much of the Southwest, NOAA warned last week.
- As if to foreshadow this pattern, the ongoing atmospheric river event is delivering far less rain to Los Angeles and San Diego compared to San Francisco.
- The La Niña influence on the winter outlook also holds true across parts of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Yes, but: Though La Niña events tend to be correlated with dry winters in these areas, every La Niña event is unique.
Go deeper ... In photos: Drought-ravaged California lashed by major storm