Tracking an atmospheric river from the sky

A team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flew over a California-bound atmospheric river to gauge its strength. The visualization below illustrates how much water vapor is moving through the atmosphere and how fast it is traveling.

Map of an atmospheric river over the Pacific Ocean reaching into Southern California. A triangular flight path leaves Hawii and travels into the most intense portion of the atmospheric river.

Atmospheric river strength

Pacific Ocean

Los

Angeles

Atmospheric

river

Flight path

500 MILES

Honolulu

Map of an atmospheric river over the Pacific Ocean reaching into Southern California. A triangular flight path leaves Hawii and travels into the most intense portion of the atmospheric river.

Atmospheric river strength

ORE.

NEV.

Pacific Ocean

San Francisco

CALIF.

Atmospheric river

Los

Angeles

Flight path

Honolulu

HAWAII

500 MILES

Map of an atmospheric river over the Pacific Ocean reaching into Southern California. A triangular flight path leaves Hawii and travels into the most intense portion of the atmospheric river.

Atmospheric river strength

ORE.

NEV.

Pacific Ocean

San Francisco

CALIF.

Atmospheric river

Los

Angeles

Flight path

Honolulu

HAWAII

500 MILES

Map of an atmospheric river over the Pacific Ocean reaching into Southern California. A triangular flight path leaves Hawii and travels into the most intense portion of the atmospheric river.

Atmospheric river strength

San

Francisco

Pacific Ocean

Atmospheric river

Los

Angeles

Flight path

Honolulu

500 MILES

Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Sean Greene LOS ANGELES TIMES