Research links intensifying wet and dry swings to the atmosphere's sponge-like ability to drop and absorb water

Los Angeles is burning, and accelerating hydroclimate whiplash is the key climate connection. After years of severe drought, dozens of atmospheric rivers deluged California with record-breaking precipitation in the winter of 2022–23, burying mountain towns in snow, flooding valleys with rain and snow melt, and setting off hundreds of landslides.