Spring Delayed by Crazy Historic Extreme Weather as Atmospheric Rivers Keep Coming
What atmospheric Rivers are, and how global warming is driving us into new cycles of extreme wet seasons followed by extremely dry seasons—either way too much water or not nearly enough long droughts.
STILL MOUNTAIN CHRONICLES # 3 Sunday March 19, 2023
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
SPRING IS OFFICIALLY HERE, BUT WE ARE STILL DEEP IN THE HEART OF WINTER
It is very early morning, long before the sun rises behind the dark clouds.
Even though today is the official first day of spring, we are still living in the heart of this historic cold, wet, windy winter with no clear end in sight.
We foolishly thought Spring was coming soon, but these back to back atmospheric rivers proved us wrong.
Rain is drumming against the roof of this tiny house, from an intense new storm that arrived in the night.
I just saw a report that said that we are due to get 5 or 6 more atmospheric rivers in the days ahead, which seems incredulous to me. Accu Weather predicts that rain will be falling nearly every day now through at least the end of March.
WHAT ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS ARE AND HOW THEY ARE BEING MADE MORE AND MORE EXTREME BY CLIMATE CHANGE
I did not understand what the term “Atmospheric River” means, so I did some research and what I found is unsettling and comforting at the same time.
“Atmospheric rivers are large bodies of moisture that form over the oceans, carrying significant amounts of water that are dropped when the storm system hits land.” (from the National Weather Service)
“Atmospheric rivers are concentrated streams of moisture extending from the tropics or sub tropics to mid latitudes, generally more than 1,200 miles long, up to several hundred miles wide and between 1 to 2 miles deep.
Recent studies have shown that atmospheric rivers caused about half of the total flood damage in the West during the past 40 years, and that they are likely to carry even more moisture as the climate conditions continue to warm.” (from Inside Climate News)
I am not complaining, for as much as I enjoyed the two days of sunny baby blue skies, I am grateful that we are no longer in drought.
THE END TO THE WORST, and SCARIEST DROUGHT IN HISTORY
I just saw the drought condition map from October 2022, which, after years of not much rain, showed nearly every corner of California in deep red or orange.
Photo Credit: NBC News Los Angles
That was a very scary time, as we did not know what was coming, but we feared it would be to get much worse.
Now, the map is all green.
I remember very well the emergency water rationing announcements which cut farmers off from water supplies they had been using for decades.
We were in a very dire condition, which, at the time, looked like it was only going to get worse.
And then, like the Coast Guard coming to save us from a sinking ship, we have had this historic winter which we were not expecting or could not have even imagined.
The National Weather Service says we have had a total of 29 atmospheric rivers hit California since October 2022, but about half of them were smaller. Since December, “California has been hit with 14 atmospheric rivers of significant size.”
Inside Climate News puts it all into perspective: “This winter’s wet storms followed the sate’s driest three years on record, and the extreme and sudden shift between dry and wet is characteristic of the changes that global warming is projected to bring the state…UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said, “ we’re likely to see both more precipitation and hydro climate whiplash in California as the climate warms.”
“According to a March 13 study, hydroclimatic extreme events are increasing in frequency, duration and extent under warming conditions…from 2002 to 2022 the intensity of extreme wet and dry events increased sharply and such extreme events correlated with rising global surface temperatures.”
NASA reported “The findings also revealed an increasing number of atmospheric river events around the world and across all ranks, with peak activity in mid latitude oceans (in temperate belts roughly between 30 and 60 degrees north and south)”.
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE FOR THE GOOD
It is comforting to know that all the state’s reservoirs are full to capacity, with a 40 year record amount of snow pack in the mountains, which will melt and add to the water supply this spring.
This historic winter’s extreme rainfall also dramatically decreases the possibilities of wild fires this summer and fall.
Because of the very real threat of potentially losing everything we have built to an out of control raging wild fire that we all have been living through every year since 2015, this is a welcome change for however long it may last.
Here on Still Mountain, I choose to enjoy the rain and even celebrate it.
I was just out in the storm, naked after rising from a long prayer bath in a big tub of hot water, dancing in the dark, splashing barefoot through deep puddles of cold rain water and giving thanks for all this sweet rain.
I know spring will come sooner or later, and that it will be one of the most beautiful and glorious springs of my life time.
Knowing that our climate future is likely to get more and more extreme as global warming gathers speed, I choose to enjoy the good results while being ready to endure whatever comes.
Original Revelation Poem and Calligraphy by Chinmayan
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