You’ve heard the news. We’re due to be hit by yet another “Atmospheric River”. We keep hearing that term over and over again – but what does that really mean?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA) says…
Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics. These columns of vapor move with the weather, carrying an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When the atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release this water vapor in the form of rain or snow.
Here’s a great video explanation
The video is from a few months ago but does a great job giving the visuals.
Atmospheric Rivers can carry twice the water of the Amazon
As the video says, when the river hits the higher elevation, it begins to dump the water. That doesn’t mean that we won’t get rain here – we will. What it does mean is that as you move up in elevation that rain will increase significantly.
This is going to be a warmer storm – so we can’t hope that all that water will be snow. It will be rain and a lot of it! The ground and creeks in the higher elevations are already soaked, so all that new rain is going to be flowing down at us.
If you live or know anyone who lives at higher elevations you need to be prepared. We’re looking at mudslides, flooding, and swift currents. Please reach out to anyone you know who might be in harms way.
If you come across a flooded roadway, please play it safe. The average automobile can be swept off the road in 12 inches of moving water, and roads covered by water are prone to collapse. Attempting to drive through water also may stall your engine, with the potential to cause irreparable damage if you try to restart the engine.
As the Fresno Fire Department will tell you…
TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN!
When the storm comes, our local emergency services might be overwhelmed. It’s always best to be prepared.
Have multiple days of food and water available, gas, propane, batteries, and all the things you know you’ll likely need.
If you think you need sandbags
- Auberry: Area 11 — 33148 Auberry Road (Only 7:00am-3:00pm)
- Biola area, Area 4 Road Yard — 12855 West “G” Street (24 hours)
- Fresno/Clovis area, Area 7 Road Yard — 9400 N Matus Ave (24 hours)
- Sanger area, Area 8 Road Yard — 9525 E Olive Ave (24 hours)
- Caruthers: Area 5 — 2544 W Mountain View Ave (24 hours)
- For an cool interactive map click HERE
This rain will pass, the sun will come out again and we’ll all be ready to play. But for now, know that we appreciate you and want to see you safe and sound!
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