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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Gabrielle Canon in Oakland

California flooding: how atmospheric rivers led to a state of emergency

City skyline with dark clouds overhead.
The San Francisco skyline as a Pacific storm approaches, in Richmond, California, on Wednesday. Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters

California’s wet season is officially under way. The state is grappling with another round of strong storms this week and the dangerous potential for flash flooding, landslides, and furious winds expected to come with them.

Much like last year, when record rainfall lashed the state, the storms are attributed to atmospheric rivers (ARs), systems that have long played a role in California’s precipitation levels – both for good and for bad.

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