atmospheric_river_rating
This week's storm may be rated a three—meaning it brought a beneficial amount of rain but was also hazardous—in northern California, based on a new rating system developed by meteorologists hoping to better describe the "atmospheric rivers" that account for most of the state's rainfall. Above, Highway 1 north of Point Reyes Station. See page 2.   David Briggs

Is California, the state with the greatest year-to-year rainfall variability, prepared for the rain and snow when it comes? A team of hydrometeorological scientists and weather forecasters this month unveiled a new storm rating system in a peer-reviewed study published by the Atmospheric Meteorological Society that they hope will help better describe large precipitation events along the West Coast. The five-point rating system focuses on “atmospheric rivers,” a type of storm system that accounts for…