California Bomb Cyclone and Atmospheric River October 2021

A record-strong bomb cyclone and intense atmospheric river inundated Northern California on October 24-25. The rain and snow effectively ended the record-breaking wildfire season in Northern California and brought badly needed water to the drought-stricken region. However, the extreme shift from drought to deluge – itself a signal of climate change – brought flash floods and debris flows along the burn scars of recent wildfires. 2021 has been a devastating year for the West Coast as human-caused climate change has fueled all-time record wildfires, heat, drought and now, record storms and precipitation.