You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

Hey Shortwaveers, Summer and Scott, and well, you hear that?

That is the sound of contractors in my basement cutting out soggy drywall because our basement

flooded over the holidays.

While much of the country was dealing with blizzards, we on the west coast have been dealing

with monster rainstorms freezing and flooding.

And one of the big drivers of this wet weather is what is known as atmospheric rivers.

First, the northwest got hit and now California.

New year has brought record rainfall, deadly flooding, and high winds to northern California.

And Sacramento, it was the wetest New Year's Eve on record.

At least two levees have been overwhelmed.

Governor Newsom is declaring a state of emergency tonight as California braces for a huge

winter storm.

That upcutting storm now has a bay area in its sights and experts say it could be deadly

if people don't prepare now.

There's already been some flooding along with wind damage and power outages, but the

real concern is what could happen later this weekend into next week as the storm sequence

continues and additional very wet atmospheric rivers will progressively increase the flood

risk with each passing storm.

This is Daniel Swain.

He's a climate scientist with UCLA, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the

Nature Conservancy of California.

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