‘Atmospheric Rivers’ Bring Storms to California

A rare tornado¹ touched down near Los Angeles on Wednesday. It followed another major storm that hit the state of California on Tuesday.

The violent weather brought heavy rain and snow from the Pacific Ocean. It caused floods, moved earth, uprooted² trees, and forced thousands of Californians to leave their homes.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday's storm was a weather system connected to the 12th so-called³ atmospheric⁴ river since late December.

Atmospheric rivers

Atmospheric rivers are long and wide areas, like a river, of water vapor⁵ in the atmosphere that forms over an ocean.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration⁶ says these weather systems carry as much water vapor as the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release⁷ this water vapor in the form of rain or snow.

Atmospheric rivers come in many shapes and sizes. The largest of those can create strong winds and can cause extreme rainfall and floods. They can cause large amounts of damage to property and life.

But atmospheric rivers are an important part of the world's water cycle. In the western part of the United States, they bring snow to the Sierra Mountains in the winter. The snow then melts and releases⁸ water in the spring and summer for power, farming, and drinking water for millions of people.

Storm effects on California

The Tuesday storm arrived on the second official day of spring.

The National Weather Service office in the San Francisco area wrote, "Wow. Even by the standards of what has turned out to be one of our most extraordinary winter seasons in a very long time, yesterday ... stands out."

In the San Francisco area, windows were blown out from two tall buildings in the city. A train carrying 55 passengers struck a downed tree and derailed near the village of Porta Costa.

Parts of California had winds of 97 to 113 kilometers per hour. Officials confirmed five deaths related⁹ to the storm when trees fell onto their vehicles and a tent.

California Office of Emergency Services said more than 14,000 people statewide were under orders to find higher ground because of flooding. Evacuation warnings were issued for another 47,000 Californians.

PowerOutage.us found nearly 250,000 homes and businesses were without electricity statewide.

The repeated Pacific storms during the past three months, however, have brought much-needed snow and water to California after years of dry weather and wildfires.

The state's Department of Water Resources says California has now received 147 percent of average rainfall so far this season.

Words in This Story

tornado – n. a violent and destructive¹⁰ storm in which powerful winds move around a central point

vapor – n. a substance that is in the form of a gas or that consists of very small drops or particles¹¹ mixed with the air

cycle – n. a set of events or actions that happen again and again in the same order

wow – intj. used to show that you are very surprised or pleased

derail – v. to leave its tracks

tent – n. a portable shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth (such as canvas or nylon), and is held up with poles and ropes

1 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 so-called   

adj.所谓的，号称的

参考例句：

• These were the so-called mainframe machines.它们被称为主机。
• Let's see what this so-called button does.让我们来看看为什么这个按钮叫这个名字。

4 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

5 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

6 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

7 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

8 releases   

v.释放( release的第三人称单数 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• Nuclear fission releases tremendous amounts of energy. 核裂变释放出巨大的能量。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Zemel says that when calcium levels are low, the body releases a hormone that helps squeeze the most out of every available milligram of the mineral. 泽莫尔博士说，当人体中的钙含量偏低时，身体里就会产生一种荷尔蒙，它能帮助肌体最大限度地吸收所摄入的钙。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

10 destructive   

adj.破坏（性）的，毁灭（性）的

参考例句：

• In the end,it will be destructive of our whole society.它最终会毁灭我们整个社会。
• It is the most destructive storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的一次风暴。

11 particles   

微粒( particle的名词复数 )； 颗粒； 极少量； 小品词

参考例句：

• These small particles agglomerate together to form larger clusters. 这些颗粒聚结形成较大的团。
• The nucleus of an atom consists of neutrons, protons and other particles. 原子核由中子、质子和其他粒子构成。