Soil saturation data sharpens atmospheric river flood warnings, study of 71,000 storms finds
Mar 02, 2026
Atmospheric rivers carry unfathomable amounts of water across the sky, bringing moisture to drought-stricken regions like the Western U.S. But whether a particular incoming atmospheric river storm will result in disastrous flooding has long been difficult for researchers to determine with confidence
. Now, a new Desert Research Institute-led study demonstrates that accounting for soil saturation levels can substantially improve our early warning of potentially destructive flooding events. ...read more read less