Atmospheric river brings wind, heavy rain and up to 1.8 metres of snow in mountainous areas
An atmospheric river has been under way through the weekend, pummelling northern and central parts of California with spells of wind and heavy rain and hill snow, and is forecast to continue into Wednesday.
The weather system, locally called the Pineapple Express, is set up by low pressure situated to the north-east of Hawaii, which propels moist tropical air from Hawaii and across the Pacific Ocean on blustery westerly winds. The result is a stream of heavy precipitation piling into parts of the west coast of the US, falling as snow down to about 1,200 metres (4,000ft) with rain at lower levels. A cumulative total of up to 500mm (20in) of rain is expected to have fallen by Wednesday, while up to 1.8 metres (6ft) of snow will be possible in mountainous areas. Subsequently, there has been a risk of flooding.
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