Leung, L. Ruby, Qian, Yun

Geophysical Research Letters

Published date February 12, 2009

Atmospheric rivers induced heavy precipitation and flooding in the western U.S. simulated by the WRF regional climate model

  • Analyzes a 20-year regional climate simulated by the Weather Research and Forecasting model to study the influence of the atmospheric rivers and land surface conditions on heavy precipitation and flooding in the western U.S.
  • Compares the 1986 President Day and 1997 New Year Day events and finds that differences in atmospheric stability have an influence on the spatial distribution of precipitation
  • Research underscores the importance of the atmospheric rivers and land surface conditions for predicting heavy precipitation and floods in the current and future climate of the western U.S.