You may have heard the term Atmospheric River, they can create storms — like the ones we saw earlier this year — that dump buckets of rain on the region. Now scientists can categorize the strength of these storms as they do for hurricanes, on a scale of 1-5. KRCB reporter Adia White talked with one of the lead researchers on the team that came up with the new scale.

To learn more about Atmospheric Rivers and the new scale, visit the University of California San Diego news center. 

Atmospheric river diagram. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmoshperic Administration.