Atmospheric river hits north of PNW, rain possible later this week

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — Fall is here and so, too, is the potential for the West Coast to see atmospheric rivers return to the forecast.

The Pacific Northwest will miss out on the opportunity to see atmospheric river rains this week, but that doesn’t mean an atmospheric river isn’t present over the Pacific Ocean.

Parts of Alaska and British Columbia are getting hit hard with atmospheric river rains Monday. An atmospheric river is defined by the NOAA as, “relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics. While atmospheric rivers can vary greatly in size and strength, the average atmospheric river carries an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River.”

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