Abstract
In 2022 and 2023, California experienced a series of atmospheric rivers that caused major damage. Atmospheric rivers are huge storms that carry a lot of water through the air. When they hit land, they can cause heavy rain or snow. Atmospheric rivers become extreme events when they are very strong and intense. They can then lead to flooding and landslides. Some happen one after another, forming what’s called an atmospheric river cluster. These clusters can be very dangerous because they bring even more rain in a short amount of time. We wanted to look at how these clusters form. We also explored how climate variability could make clusters happen more often. We found that dense clusters (storms that happen close together) bring the most rain. They also cause the most flooding. Changes in temperature and weather patterns might make these intense clusters more frequent. But why do we need to understand more about atmospheric river clusters? So we can better prepare for flooding and extreme weather in the future.
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