WEATHER WATCH COLUMN:  DECEMBER 2002 ISSUE

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Weather Watch: Pineapple Express

The <pineapple express> is a flow of warm, moisture-laden air from
near the Hawaiian Islands to North America and is readily apparent
from satellite imagery as a stream of thick clouds.  November and
December are the preferred months for the pineapple express, but it
can happen anytime during the winter.  The pineapple express brings
heavy rain to the West Coast.  Flooding and rapid wintertime snowmelt
at lower mountain elevations can combine to produce mudslides,
especially if ground is saturated with prior rain events.  Less
intense events can produce elevated flow rates in western streams and
rivers for winter paddlers.

<-David Schultz, NOAA/National Severe Storms Laboratory>