Satellite images have been forecasting the ongoing California Atmospheric River storms unleashing over the state for several weeks now. In an official White House statement recently US President Biden, declared that a major disaster exists in the State of California and ordered Federal aid to supplement State, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected.
Devastating storms ravage California
Drenching rains and challenging floods have brought in heavy debris flow and power outages in several parts of the state for several days now. Ironically California usually looks forward to the winter rains to provide much of the water supply to be used for the rest of the year. This is because several parts of the state are parched through summer as they have been inflicted with a punishing drought situation for some years now.
However the present winter rains are bringing in more than required amounts of water and the main problem has arisen from the fact that the state is being hit by a lot of storms fairly quickly, one after another. As a result soils saturated with rainwater are not able to absorb any more, leading to floods and landslides. Instead of being a savior, unfortunately the winter rains this round have assumed a destructor’s mode.
“We are in the middle of a deadly barrage of winter storms – and California is using every resource at its disposal to protect lives and limit damage,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom a few days after the storm hit the state. “We are taking the threat from these storms seriously, and want to make sure that Californians stay vigilant as more storms head our way” he further added in.
What is an atmospheric river?
Atmospheric Rivers are storms which are shaped like winding rivers. They are long and narrow in shape and they carry a prodigious amount of water. The storms affecting California formed when winds over the Pacific Ocean drew a filament of moisture from the warm and moist air over the Tropics and then moved it to the US West Coast where its path was obstructed by the mighty Sierra Nevada, forcing the warm air to rise, cool down and finally unleash huge amounts of precipitation.
Satellite images help in storm forecasts
Earth observation has been a great aid in the ongoing weather challenge in California. Real time images available provide critical visual inputs for all stakeholders responsible for taking actions to mitigate the effects of the winter storm. For instance NOAA and NASA’s fleet of satellites constantly keep an eye on the Earth for weather forecasts, disaster response and long-term climate monitoring. The actual ground level situation’s understanding gained from these geospatial aid can be useful in producing local forecasts.
NOAA and partners manage facilities such as the NOAA Hydrometeorology Testbed and conduct targeted field campaigns using satellite measurements, offshore aircraft reconnaissance, and land-based atmospheric river observatories to guide model forecast system development.
NASA’s Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) located aboard the Aqua satellite, captured the series of storms as they resulted in record amount of rain drenching in some parts of California, causing devastating floods and damaging community infrastructure.
Reducing storm destruction effects with geo- tech powered weather forecasts
The atmospheric rivers have certainly caused weeks of flooding and related severe challenges for the communities affected by the rising water and resultant power outages in California. However it is also a fact that the destruction of the affected areas would certainly have been much more in the absence of a regular, accurate weather forecast as it is available today.
Geospatial technologies have greatly advanced through the years and have assisted weather forecasting to be much more relevant and effective. For example today emergency responders, local authority, school supervisors, dam operators, farmers and so on – all have access to a large repository of rapidly updated information about the path of the storms, timing of their arrival and an estimate of the level of damage they may unleash. They may be informed of the form of the probable amount of rain or snow or accompanying wind speed and so on helping them gauge the level of challenges which may arise.
Earth observation applications for the weather forecasting elements undoubtedly ignite the thrill of being able to tell you what is going to happen tomorrow and that is always fascinating!
Geo-Assessing weather induced damage
Severe weather events produce changes in land surface vegetation and urban components that are frequently observed through remote sensing. In present times the earth observation capabilities have continued to improve through a growing constellation of satellite assets, increasing the spatial resolution of visible, near to shortwave infrared, and thermal infrared remote sensing. As applicable for climate predictions, such geospatial solutions have an equally significant role in assessing the amount of damages which unfold in a post-disaster scenario.
For example following a severe weather event, meteorologists in NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) typically perform a detailed damage, complementing activities by emergency managers, affected citizens, insurance providers, and supporting organizations. Since timeliness is critical when assessments are performed accurate inputs provided by geospatial data help in streamlining effective mitigation activities.
California to stay alert
“Our message to Californians is simple: be hyper-vigilant,” said Governor Newsom recently in an official statement. “There are still several days of severe winter weather ahead and we need all Californians to be alert and heed the advice of emergency officials.
As California braces for the ongoing winter storm ravages and looks forward to the storm effects to end, all such geo-tech tools for forecasting, monitoring and mitigating the impacts will continue to wield great importance in the overall weather management operations.
