Publication: L.A. Times

UCLA Expert: Daniel Swain: Assistant Researcher and Climate Specialist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Synopsis:  A powerful winter storm unleashed pounding rain and strong winds across Northern California on Wednesday, leaving a small child dead, triggering evacuations and power outages, and heightening fears of widespread flooding and debris flows.

UCLA News: In October 2021, a similarly strong atmospheric river brought significant rainfall to the state but did not cause nearly the same amount of damage because the conditions leading up to it were more dry, Swain said. Now, “it’s going to take a much lesser storm to produce much greater impacts given how wet it is,” he added.

Read more at L.A. Times.