Millions of Americans will be under flood warnings this week as an atmospheric river sweeps over the west coast with heavy rainfall and high winds. The weather system, named the Pineapple Express, extends 3,000 miles and originated in Hawaii.
Atmospheric rivers are narrow region s in the atmosphere that transport much of the moisture from the tropics to northern latitudes, according to the National Weather Service. They are closely tied with flood risks and can “wallop” the US with heavy rainfall and snow.
The Pineapple Express could dump as much as five inches of rain on California in one day, and some coastal ranges are expected to see over eight inches in total this week. Parts of California, Oregon and Washington have all been put on alert.
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Flood warnings were in place around multiple rivers in Washington and Oregon on Monday and forecasters said there could be an increased risk of landslides in some areas. The NWS predicts that the impacts will ramp up on Tuesday night and through the day on Wednesday, leading to heavy rainfall and gusts of up to 65 mph in southwestern Oregon and northern California .