![]() More than five inches of rain fell in parts of northern California and along the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada on February 19–20. The GPM satellite is the core of a rainfall observatory that includes measurements from NASA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and five other national and international partners. The data come from the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), a product of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The brightest areas on the map depict as much as 1000 millimeters of precipitation, or 39.37 inches. ![]() (You can download an animation of this accumulation via the link below the image.) These are remotely-sensed estimates, and local amounts can be significantly higher when measured from the ground. Specifically, it adds the daily precipitation totals from December 31, 2016, to the evening of February 20, 2017. The map below shows satellite-based measurements of rain, snow, and other wintry precipitation as it has accumulated over California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona this year. ![]() Note the tight arc of clouds stretching from Hawaii to California, a visible manifestation of the atmospheric river pouring moisture into western states. On February 20, 2017, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on Suomi NPP captured a natural-color image (above) of conditions over the northeastern Pacific. Spillways have been opened at the Anderson, Oroville, and Monticello dams, among others. According to news reports, more than two dozen mud/debris flows have been reported across California, and at least 30 major roads have been flooded at various times in the past week. Many parts of California have received nearly twice as much rain as normally falls in the first five months of a water year, which began on October 1.įlood and landslide warnings are in effect in many counties, particularly in the Sacramento Valley, which is crossed by several rivers and sits downstream from several large reservoirs and dams. Yet another series of atmospheric rivers has drenched California and the American West in a stunning turnaround from five years of drought. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |