Publication: Associated Press

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

Synopsis: The recent atmospheric river carried warm subtropical moisture that caused melting at lower elevations of California’s Sierra Nevada snowpack, adding to runoff that has swelled rivers and streams. California Department of Water Resources’ online data showed Monday that the water content of the Sierra snowpack was 207% of the April 1 average, when it is normally at its peak. In the southern Sierra it was 248% of the average.

UCLA News: But the snowpack is so deep and cold that it mostly absorbed the rain, resulting in an even greater snowpack in the southern and central Sierra, Swain said.

Read more at Associated Press.