These storms included heavy winds which are not usually associated with the phenomenon. A Pineapple Express is an example of an atmospheric river, which is a more general term for such narrow corridors of enhanced water vapor transport at mid-latitudes around the world. Atmospheric rivers are narrow corridors of the upper atmosphere that transport intense moisture from a large body of water onto land. The Pineapple Express is a specific atmospheric river that originates near Hawaii and travels across the Pacific Ocean to the western coast of North America. Officials referred to the storm system as "the worst in a decade" on November 8, 2006. An 'atmospheric river… This is a special type of storm, an atmospheric river, that is often referred to as a Pineapple Express. This storm was the largest to hit Southern California since the storms that hit during the 1997–98 El Niño event. Our current weather is an example of a strong and warm atmospheric river, nicknamed a “Pineapple Express” because it is formed by winds over warm … Each of these low-pressure systems brings enhanced rainfall. Author: NOAA
This is 7 to 15 times as much as the mouth of the Mississippi River. Pineapple Express is a non-technical term for a meteorological phenomenon characterized by a strong and persistent flow of moisture and associated with heavy precipitation from the waters adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands and extending to any location along the Pacific coast of North America. The same storms brought a blizzard of heavy, wet snow to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, notoriously stranding the train City of San Francisco on January 13. A Pineapple Express related storm battered Southern California from January 7 through January 11, 2005. The greatest flooding in Northern California since the 1800s occurred in 1955 as a result of a series of Hawaiian storms, with the greatest damage in the Sacramento Valley around Yuba City.[7]. [15][16] A rare tornado touched down in Los Angeles on December 12. Actually, Pineapple Express is our new CBD Collection by South Seas. Atmospheric River on the Way Friday Afternoon Visible Satellite Photo---you can see the Pineapple Express already forming! This animation from NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory shows an atmospheric river event in January 2017. SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- An Atmospheric River is heading in our direction and that means we are in for drenching rain in the coming days! [6] During the second week of January, 1952, a series of "Hawaiian" storms swept into Northern California, causing widespread flooding around the Bay Area. Access information, images, analyses, diagnostics of current conditions, forecasts, and projects related to atmospheric rivers (ARs). [13] The storm caused power outage for more than 50,000 people. Pineapple Express A strong atmospheric river that is capable of bringing moisture from the tropics near Hawaii over to the U.S. West Coast. They are also present during an El Niño episode. The events have been tracked in the northern hemisphere since the 1990s and are sometimes dubbed "pineapple express" storms. Many are weak and provide beneficial rain or high-elevation snow that provide crucial inputs to the water supplies of western communities. [2], Early in 1862, extreme storms riding the Pineapple Express[3][4] battered the west coast for 45 days. Christine Virdee Show More Show Less 3 of 48. Occasionally a long stream of tropical moisture gets steered away from the tropics. The storm also brought not only significant flooding to the Los Angeles area and most of Southern California (killing about 3 people), but also significant severe weather in that area. After being drained of their moisture, the tropical air masses reach the inland prairies as a Chinook wind or simply "a Chinook", a term which is also synonymous in the Pacific Northwest with the Pineapple Express. The storm brought major snow to the Sierra Nevada and San Gabriel Mountains. 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