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What the science says about California’s record–setting snow

A relentless series of ‘rivers in the sky’ is creating extreme conditions across the state, but a role for climate change is unclear.
  1. Gemma Conroy
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Not again! Earlier this week, California was battered by heavy rain, strong winds and thick snow — the latest in a seemingly unending procession of strong storms. Wild weather has afflicted the previously drought-stricken state for three months, resulting in devastating floods, paralysing blizzards and dozens of deaths. Data released on Thursday show that the snowpack is the biggest on record. Nature spoke to atmospheric and climate scientists about what’s driving the surge in wet weather and what the state could look like in a warmer future.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00937-x

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 03 April 2023: An earlier version of this story incorrectly characterized the effect of climate change on atmospheric rivers.

References

  1. Ralph, F. M. et al. J. Hydrometeorol. 18, 2577–2596 (2017).

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