After a warm weekend of sunshine and clear blue skies, the Pineapple Express could be about to rain on the coast’s parade.
The Pineapple Express refers to an atmospheric river that brings tropical moisture from the Hawaiian islands to the West Coast. Starting early next week, the floodgates could open as Southern California prepares for monumental flooding.
“An atmospheric river is basically an air current that carries a huge mass of water and condensation with it,” climate journalist Shreya Agrawal said. “And when that happens, we experience a lot of rain…Southern Californians should be worried because L.A. streets and drains are not equipped to handle that amount of rain in such a short time.”
Weather forecasters are expecting the rain to start Wednesday, January 31, and continue periodically with strong winds through Friday, February 2. While no reports of any flooding have been confirmed by news outlets, environmental studies major and research assistant Natalie Lopez said that traffic and commutes would be heavily impacted.
“Next week, driving is going to be increasingly more difficult and there’s probably going to be less Ubers out because it’s not safe to drive,” Lopez said. “It’s hard to drive in L.A. when it’s dry to begin with. It’s gonna be a lot worse when it’s pouring. Don’t plan to go anywhere far off campus because even getting to the metro station might be kind of messy.”
Students who are interested in climate effects, such as Tvisha Singh, are concerned about safety measures during dramatic weather events such as an atmospheric river. Singh said that the preparation for the intense rain is similar to that of any natural disaster.
“For housed students, preparing for an atmospheric river event would involve preparing for power outages, closed roads, and some flooding,” Singh said. “For all emergencies, having an emergency kit, evacuation route, flashlights and charged devices is always advisable.”
The upcoming weather patterns have Singh concerned about what this may entail for current residents of L.A. as well as future generations.
“Increased global temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emission are responsible for increasing evaporation, thereby making precipitation-related weather events much more extreme,” Singh said. “Warmer air can also hold more water vapor. Hurricanes are also becoming stronger in California because of this.”
These storms have become more prevalent across the country over the past decade. In 2023, the state of California experienced the longest stretch of continuous atmospheric river conditions ever recorded, according to the New York Times.
Over this past year, the Golden State experienced some of its most extreme precipitation, forming lakes in the farmlands and a hurricane in Death Valley, where a year’s worth of rain fell in just 24 hours.
Agrawal said that these astonishing and record-breaking numbers of rain are a direct result of climate change.
“A climate is a constant set of 30 year weather patterns,” Agrawal said, “Right now that pattern is shifting because we’re adding more heat to the atmosphere, in the form of carbon. The heat we are experiencing right now is from all the carbon we added 30 years ago, and we’re going to see the effects of all the carbon we’re adding now in 30 years.”
Todd Richards, a lecturer at USC Annenberg with a meteorology background, said that the incoming atmospheric river is more in line with a strong El Niño year than direct global warming. El Niño, a climate pattern that results in higher sea temperatures, usually occurs every two to seven years. When it does, regions of the southern U.S. — including Los Angeles — tend to have wetter winters.
Lopez said that the importance of staying informed on climate change could not be overstated and that being prepared for freak weather occurrences is pertinent to all Angelenos.
“Even if you don’t know about the climate crisis, and it’s not something that’s really important to you, sooner or later, it’s going to affect you,” Lopez said. “It’s important to be continually informed on potential weather changes and somewhat prepared in the event of any natural disasters. Because of climate change, these disasters could be just around the corner.”