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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Environment

What are the ‘atmospheric rivers’ hitting the US West Coast?

West Coast United States NOAA California Flood
An airliner approaches Hollywood Burbank Airport, in Burbank, California, US, through storm clouds. Parts of California have received snowfall while other areas have seen wet and rainy weather as storms pound the state [File: Richard Vogel/AP Photo]

Channels of moisture called “atmospheric rivers” are currently stretching along the US West Coast to central California from the tropical skies north of Hawaii.

The centre of this moisture plume is about 200 to 300 miles (320-480km) wide.

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