New research published on high-latitude atmospheric rivers

New research by Mateling et al. (2021) was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres using ground-based instrumentation and an atmospheric river dataset. The Upper Great Lakes region of the United States experiences an abundance of snowfall each year. The National Weather Service in Marquette, Michigan closely monitors snowfall events due to the socioeconomic impact on the surrounding communities. This study investigates the impact of atmospheric rivers on cold-season precipitation in the Upper Great Lakes region using ground-based observations from Marquette. We find that atmospheric rivers occur frequently during large-scale, deep precipitation events and are associated with enhanced precipitation rates, greater likelihood of rain instead of snow at the surface, and warmer temperatures. These events are also correlated with the negative phases of the Pacific-North American (PNA) pattern and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which could aid forecasters in mid- and long-range prediction of these weather events. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD034754