Atmospheric river history (Part Two)

While the term "atmospheric river" didn’t exist in the 19th century, we have clear historical evidence of them causing massive disturbances. Such occurences began with the the great flood of 1862, the largest flood in the recorded history of California, Oregon, and Nevada. 

It was caused by a "family" of back-to-back atmospheric rivers that turned California's Central Valley into an inland sea. Before that, by studying tree rings and sediment layers, scientists have identified "mega-AR" events occurring as far back as A.D. 212, suggesting these have been a consistent feature of Earth's climate for millennia. 

In the last decade, our understanding has moved from "discovery" to "categorization." In 2019, Dr. F. Martin Ralph and colleagues at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography developed the AR Scale (1 to 5). Much like the hurricane scale, it helps the public understand if an incoming atmospheric river will be "beneficial" (filling reservoirs/ending droughts) or "hazardous" (causing floods and landslides). 

Overall, scientific studies confirm that atmospheric rivers are becoming stronger, wetter, larger, and more frequent in recent years, leading to more intense precipitation, and the primary reason is human-caused climate change. 

A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, fueling these "rivers in the sky" with extra water vapor from oceans, resulting in more extreme rainfall, flooding, and wind events, particularly impacting the US West Coast. Combined with steadily increasing temperatures, this will lead to less and less snow in the US Sierras, Cascades and Rocky Mountains. 

Since I live in Park City, a mountain region, I want to know how atmospheric rivers specifically affect our snowpack and even flood risk in our mountain town compared to coastal areas and this is something we’ll discuss in our next blog, so please, stay tuned!

Atmospheric river primer (Part one)

This early winter has been marked in the American West with a prevalence of meteorological “atmospheric rivers”, something we’ve discussed many times in this blog in recent years, and since it ruined my early ski season, I was curious for how long this phenomenon has been a known weather factor? 

Although the term "atmospheric river" (AR) has only been part of the scientific and public vocabulary for about 30 years, the weather phenomenon itself has been documented and studied under different names for centuries. The name "atmospheric river" was coined in 1992 (and further popularized in a 1994 study) by two researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Reginald Newell and Yong Zhu.

As both were analyzing global data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, they discovered that over 90% of the moisture moving from the tropics toward the poles was concentrated in narrow, fast-moving "filaments" that covered less than 10% of the Earth's circumference. 

Before Newell and Zhu’s naming them this way, these storms were well-known to meteorologists and residents of coastal regions, but I remember them as being called "Pineapple Express", referring to atmospheric rivers that originate near Hawaii and hit the U.S. West Coast. 

Some called them the “Warm Conveyor Belts", a term used in the 1970s to describe the flow of warm, moist air within a cyclone. Other weather forecasters called it "Moisture Plumes" or "Tropical Connections", to describe the visible bands of clouds on satellite imagery. 

The reason Newell and Zhu chose “Atmospheric river” was because these bands carried an astounding amount of water, as a single strong atmospheric river could transport roughly 15 times the average flow of the Mississippi River! Tomorrow, we’ll review the historical weather events involving this phenomenon... 

Webcam transparency…

Are “Snowcams” or ski resort webcams influencing the way vacationers decide on their vacation? It depends on which part of the year we’re talking about. Christmas and New Year vacation are different animals in the sense that there is always a huge demand for that period of the year and lodging and even flight reservations have to be made in advance.

So what to do if one looks at Park City’s webcam, sees no snow or not enough of it and reconsiders their stay. Not an easy decision even if they have to cancel both housing and transportation and probably will lose most of it, there is always an insidious hope that suggests that all may change at the very last minute “as has been seen in the past”. 

In addition, the change of venue is a welcome break at the beginning of winter, so why not come anyway? This situation will soon change if snow doesn’t make it in January, then consulting webcams will become critical to making a decision and planning a ski vacation, even if on short notice. 

What’s clear is that snow conditions at ski resorts have never been as transparent as they’re today thanks to the webcam bearing witness to reality.

Are sedans falling out of favor?

It seems to me that as a vehicle, the sedan has fallen out of favor, eclipsed by SUVs, or at the very least higher up vehicles. I’ve been wondering what were the reasons for that? At least in America, it would seem that consumer preferences have shifted dramatically in recent years as buyers find SUV and crossovers more versatile, capable, and aligned with modern lifestyles. 

Among other considerations they see them as being of greater utility by offering more cargo space as well as better able to handle varied weather and road conditions, while giving them an added sense of safety and confidence. 

Then, there’s the fact that SUVs ride high and are much easier to enter and exit. Their higher seating positions are consistently cited as a major reason people prefer SUVs. They make entering and exiting much easier and provide a better visibility, making drivers feel more “in command” of the road. 

In my view, this preference must be exacerbated due to the fact that drivers as well as passengers are taller and more "voluminous" (read heavier) than in past decades, and have a harder time entering, and much more difficulties extracting themselves from a low riding vehicle, particularly the driver, hindered by the steering wheel. 

It’s obvious that SUVs’ higher hip‑point seating reduces the need to “fall into” a low sedan or “climb out” of it. Larger door openings, more headroom, legroom and sense of extra volume add to the ergonomic considerations and absolutely play a role in real‑world preference. Automakers have also been accelerating the shift by pushing SUV and moving sedans out of their showrooms. 

The reason is that SUVs and trucks have higher profit margins, and as consumer demand is stronger this has become a self‑reinforcing cycle. These evolving consumer expectations and technological advancements (extra room needed for batteries) have made SUVs the default platform for new features and designs. 

Finally, SUVs have become cultural symbols representing adventure, capability, and modern family life. One source even calls it a “complete cultural and lifestyle shift”. Since 2012, I’ve fully fallen into SUV mode. And you, what are you driving today?

Another Holiday Video…

For years, we’ve been producing a short video clip in lieu of sending a traditional Christmas or holiday card. If you had asked me, I would have guessed we began this tradition about twelve years ago. 

But after checking my records, I discovered that we actually started in 2010—making this year’s edition our sixteenth Holiday video. In the early days, our messages—like so many others—were mostly a rundown of our accomplishments from the previous twelve months: sports activities, trips, and similar highlights. 

Fortunately, the format has evolved into something more reflective, offering a broader sense of how we felt about yet another year. It’s far more enjoyable to watch, sparing viewers the boasting about everything we achieved and conveniently skipping the less glamorous moments. 

These days, our clips run just a couple of minutes and are produced in two versions: English and French. Below is the 2025 edition. Regardless of its quality, each video represents a significant amount of work. In the beginning, it might have taken me more than 50 hours to write, produce, and send. 

With experience, I’ve managed to cut that down to about 25 hours—still no small investment of time. How long will this yearly effort continue? As the saying goes, and without any pun intended: We’ll see... 

The double meaning of “Woke” (Park Three)

The first reason for the “Woke” confusion is that the word has become a “floating signifier”. This means not just a word, but a symbol or an image with a vague, unstable meaning that can be filled by different groups for their own purposes, allowing broad, sometimes contradictory, messages to address diverse people, in fact, whatever the speaker wants it to mean in the moment. An impossible task! 

The second reason is that it’s used more as a signal than a definition. It is used to tell us which “side” someone is on, instead of what they’re describing. 

The third reason is that it’s rhetorically useful because it’s vague. As a reminder, rhetorical means a skillful or persuasive use of language (orally or in writing) to influence, convince, or make a point, often for effect rather than explaining something. If a word can mean anything, it can be applied to everything. 

Finally, the fourth reason is that it’s easier to condemn a label than explain a policy. This is why we’ll see “woke corporations”. “woke schools”, “woke military”, “woke science”, all of these without a clear explanation of what the word refers to.

So in the end, what are we to do to clarify this confusion? Here’s the most accurate, non‑political definition we can use: Essentially, Woke means to be aware of social injustice and believing that society should address it. This definition is then opposed by the definition used by its opponents: 

For these opponents, Woke in an excessive or coercive activism that imposes ideological norms. As we can see, both definitions exist simultaneously. That’s why the word feels so slippery. 

If we want a clean, practical rule of thumb, when someone uses the word “woke,” we should ask: “What specific behavior or policy are you referring to?” If they cannot answer, they’re using the word as a rhetorical device, not a description. 

If I made myself clear all along, we all should know what we’re up against, know the differences in meanings and more importantly, determine the true reason why some people are using that word!

How is “Woke” used today? (Part Two)

That evolution is leading us to the messy part found in the meaning of “Woke”. 

In the 2020s, the word became politicized and weaponized, to the point that today, it has two very different meanings, depending on who’s using it. First, there’s a positive or neutral meaning of woke that means being socially aware, empathetic, and attentive to inequality. 

Then there’s a negative or critical meaning that was perverted by the Trump’s MAGA movement, to indicate an overreach in social activism, moralizing, or enforcing ideological conformity. 

This negative meaning is extremely broad and often used as a catch‑all insult for any progressive progressive ideas, diversity initiatives, inclusive language, academic or educational theories, corporate public relations, or more broadly used for anything perceived as “too politically correct”. 

Because it’s used so broadly, “woke” often loses its precision and many writers struggle to define it. So, It’s not just my imagination, but the reality is that far too many people who use the word heavily are woefully unable to define it clearly. Tomorrow I will attempt to explain the reasons behind this confusion, so please stay tuned.