Throughout March, high-altitude storm systems known as atmospheric rivers pummelled South Lake Tahoe during what climate scientists have dubbed a winter for the history books….
One might find it hard to imagine that a warming planet would cause such an event. But, according to Mr Swain, that’s exactly what’s happening….
“I think the reality is, California’s climate is becoming even more California-like, if you will,” said Mr Swain. “It was already a place that saw these wide swings between drought and flood. But these swings have become larger.”
“We’ve had some of the driest years on record and the wettest year on record, in the same decade,” he said.
“This hydro-climate whiplash, this precipitation variability, it’s always been high in California, and it does appear to be increasing. And that’s something that’s clear in predictions…of warming climate.”