Bomb cyclone (Pineapple Express) set to unleash life-threatening flooding in California

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SAN FRANCISCO – Just three days after a record-breaking storm brought significant rain, widespread flooding and significant mountain snow to much of California, another, perhaps even more powerful double whammy of an atmospheric river and bomb cyclone is targeting the region this week that could become one of the more impactful storms to strike the state in years.

In this case, the developing storm will tap into abundant tropical moisture available in the Pacific Ocean, creating a reasonably strong "atmospheric river" that will carry copious amounts of moisture from Hawaii to California.

"Basically, an (atmospheric river) is a river in the sky of water vapor, and when it hits the mountains, (the moisture) is forced up over the mountains," Marty Ralph, Director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, told FOX Weather. "That upward motion causes clouds and precipitation to form, and the faster the flow of air and water vapor is hitting the mountains, the faster the rain is falling, so you get more and more rain with the stronger ARs hitting the mountains."

This specific type of atmospheric river, known as the "Pineapple Express," in a nod to the storm's fuel source, which has Hawaiian origins, is set to bring significant moisture to California.

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