Dr. Thomas Mote, a UGA hydroclimatologist and I are teaching a graduate seminar on atmospheric rivers at the University of Georgia this semester. We have been reading an array of literature on the topic. Recent discussions centered on a paper that suggested the “Nashville Floods of 2010” were partially linked to an atmospheric river that supplied moisture from the tropical Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean. If you need a refresher on atmospheric rivers, I describe them in a Forbes piece last year. As my colleague Professor Mote notes,

“These are very narrow streams of moisture, but they play an oversized role in determining how much rain and snow falls in the western U.S., in particular. When and where these rivers occur can make the difference between conditions favorable for a flood or a drought for places along the west coast.”

A subset of the Pacific-originating atmospheric rivers is called the “Pineapple Express. Many are familiar with the term because of the influence these atmospheric river systems have on the west coast of the United States. Atmospheric rivers are currently in the news again because they are expected to finally unleash significant rains on that region as perhaps one of El Nino’s last gasps. “Pineapple Express” is probably the more familiar term, but what is the “Maya Express”? The central and southern United States may be about to find out.

from Forbes – Tech http://ift.tt/1nneIR6
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