Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2023 was authentic, which is weird. You’ve probably heard that the word of the year was rizz, which is technically not wrong, but it’s also technically not accurate because both words were featured on the institution’s list of those most often searched.
“A high-volume lookup most years, authentic saw a substantial increase in 2023, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media,” wrote Merriam-Webster, also pointing out that brand marketing latched onto the word in 2023 because it distinguished a characteristic people engaged with most in headlines and news stories.
Yes, it’s weird that I’m bringing all this up. But I’m about to bring it full circle because, by their logic, atmospheric river was absolutely snubbed by not making this list. If there was one phrase that got the internet juices flowing last winter and sent people into the mountains (and often to our homepage), it was atmospheric river. And now that we’re firmly into 2024 and a whole winter away from the record snowfalls and constant barraging of storms that came with that La Niña season, we can reflect on just how often those words got blasted out by groups like NOAA and the National Weather Service.
And guess what? According to the National Weather Service, the term is part of a new long-range forecast that says the West Coast might get a lot of snow at the end of January and start of February.
Atmospheric River Likely to Impact the West with Heavy Precipitation, High Winds, and Possible Flooding – updated January 23, 2024 – https://t.co/UMw8lZcKJV pic.twitter.com/oZM9ivpVwc
— NWS Climate Prediction Center (@NWSCPC) January 23, 2024
California Weather Watch points out that Northern California and the Pacific Northwest should expect to get hit the hardest going into the first days of February. Depending on the storm track, Southern California could be left “high and dry.” Still, the National Weather Service thinks there’s enough to keep an eye on, from potential weather hazards in some regions to solid snowfall for others.
“During the atmospheric river event, there is a moderate risk of heavy precipitation across most of the California and coastal portions of the Pacific Northwest January 30th to February 3rd,” CWW said Monday, “with a high risk across California January 30-February 2 that (could) lead to localized flooding and landslides. The higher elevations of the northern Sierra Nevada and Klamath Range are expected to receive heavy snow. Snow levels are anticipated to become lower as the event progresses. Hazardous onshore high winds are likely to impact the West Coast as well January 30-February 2, particularly the Pacific Northwest southward through much of California, which could lead to coastal erosion from persistently high waves.”
