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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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What's New
National Weather Service meteorologists in California are warning that the "strongest and wettest" of recent, back-to-back atmospheric rivers will hit the Golden State early next week.
Newsweek reached out to the NWS in San Francisco by phone for comment.
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Why It Matters
The Pacific Northwest is known for its atmospheric rivers, particularly during the winter months. The storms bring heavy rain and snow, typically to Oregon, Washington and California. Though the moisture-laden storms can help alleviate drought, they also pose life-threatening risks from mudslides and floods.
Back-to-back atmospheric rivers have already hit the West Coast this month, including one that brought heavy rain and strong winds to Washington and Oregon on Tuesday.
Another few storms will barrel into the West Coast this weekend, with meteorologists expecting their impact to stretch further south into the San Francisco Bay Area.
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What To Know
Atmospheric rivers are a "long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Earlier this month, meteorologists warned of a weather pattern that implied a parade of the storms would hit the West Coast throughout December.
Impacts from the atmospheric river have already been reflected in the water levels at two of California's biggest reservoirs. In northern California, water levels at Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville began to rise in late November and have continued to do so as each storm hits.
A weaker storm will hit this weekend, with a stronger forecast for early next week during busy travel days ahead of Christmas. Meteorologists are forecasting as much as 4 inches of rain in higher elevations, with the North Bay Valleys expecting anywhere from 1.3 to 3 inches.
What People Are Saying
NWS San Francisco office gave a hydrologic outlook: "An active storm track across northern California will bring moderate rainfall and an increased potential for rapid river rises on North Bay creeks and streams. The storm door is wide-open with a very active storm track forecast to impact Northern California. Wet and unsettled weather will bring periods of light to moderate rainfall to the region with the biggest impact expected over the North Bay.
"This third storm that is expected to impact the North Bay on Monday and Tuesday is gearing up to be the strongest and wettest of the series."
What Happens Next
With rain expected to hit the North Bay multiple times this weekend, meteorologists warned that the soil will be primed for floods by the time the third atmospheric river arrives on Monday.
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