Untitled

California has been experiencing a drought since 2012, but the first months of 2017 have brought some relief in the form of torrential rains. These rains have been brought to California in a series of atmospheric rivers, long narrow channels of water vapor in the atmosphere that reach from tropical latitudes to the coast of California. These channels bring rainfall to the state when they are disrupted by atmospheric conditions over California s Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals (IMERG) and water vapor data from the Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS). These datasets show the extreme rainfall that occurred in California during the first three weeks of February 2017 and the atmospheric rivers that transported the rain to the area.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. A global view of the IMERG precipitation and GEOS water vapor during the first three weeks of February 2017. A north pole view of the IMERG precipitation and GEOS water vapor during the first three weeks of February 2017. This is the color table for water vapor. This is the color table for liquid precipitation. This is the color table for frozen precipitation. Triple color table for water vapor, liquid precipitation and solid precipitation

After more than four years of drought, Californians may wonder where the current rain is coming from. Using satellites, NASA scientists have a unique view of the sources of precipitation, and how it reaches the western United States.Rain is often carried by narrow tendrils of moisture called atmospheric rivers that occur all over the world, shown here in white. The atmospheric rivers that affect the western United States are known as the Pineapple Express because they transport water vapor from as far south as Hawaii to California. When the moisture reaches land, it is forced up over the hills and mountains where it cools, producing significant rainfall. This type of precipitation provides about 40 percent of the state’s annual water supply. This visualization combines precipitation data from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission s Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals (IMERG) and water vapor data from Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS) . Together, they allow scientists to study atmospheric rivers and the heavy precipitation they bring to California.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. A global view of the IMERG precipitation and GEOS water vapor in the first half of January 2017. Note that atmospheric river events occur not just in California, but all over the world in the mid-latitude regions. Color bar for liquid precipitation Colorbar for frozen precipitation