What is the Pineapple Express when it comes to weather?

A Pineapple Express is, more specifically, an atmospheric river that travels from Hawaii to the Western U.S. Atmospheric rivers transport large amounts of water vapor along flowing currents of air. They are generally a few thousand miles long and around a hundred miles wide.

Is an atmospheric river a Pineapple Express?

One well-known nickname for an atmospheric river is the Pineapple Express, which occurs when the source of the moisture is near Hawaii. When a Pineapple Express hits land in the western United States and Canada, it can cause heavy rain and snow. In California, it can cause up to 5 inches of rain in a day.

When was the last Pineapple Express?

The Pineapple Express is a narrow region of atmospheric moisture that builds up in the tropical Pacific. This animation from NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory shows an atmospheric river event in January 2017.

When did atmospheric river become a thing?

The term atmospheric river was first coined in 1998 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers Yong Zhu and Richard Newell, but ARs had been observed before then.

Why is it called Task Force pineapple?

The slow and steady system of maneuvering the Afghan families in the darkness was modeled after the Underground Railroad. In order to confirm their identities, the refugees (referred to by the group as “passengers”) had to show the volunteers a picture of yellow pineapples on a pink background.

What is a dry slot?

Dry Slot. A zone of dry (and relatively cloud-free) air which wraps east- or northeastward into the southern and eastern parts of a synoptic scale or mesoscale low pressure system. A dry slot generally is seen best on satellite photographs.

What is a weather Clipper?

NOAA’s National Weather Service – Glossary. Alberta Clipper. A fast moving low pressure system that moves southeast out of Canadian Province of Alberta (southwest Canada) through the Plains, Midwest, and Great Lakes region usually during the winter.

Why is it called an atmospheric river?

Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky – that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics.

Who coined the phrase atmospheric river?

Reginald Newell
The term was originally coined by researchers Reginald Newell and Yong Zhu of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the early 1990s, to reflect the narrowness of the moisture plumes involved.

Why is it called atmospheric river?