SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — As the West Coast has been walloped by storms over the past several weeks, new terms are being added to our everyday vocabulary.
If you’ve been keeping track of the weather lately, you may be wondering: what even is a Pineapple Express? For many, it’s a reference to a 2008 Seth Rogen film about one of his favorite pastimes, but the term is also common for meteorologists.
KRON On is streaming now
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “the Pineapple Express is a narrow region of atmospheric moisture that builds up in the tropical Pacific.” The atmospheric moisture is carried from the tropics, closer to the equator, up to northern latitudes by what is called an atmospheric river.
An atmospheric river, sometimes referred to as The Pineapple Express because of the moisture plume that extends as far back as Hawaii, will bring successive storms.
KRON4 Meteorologist Kyla Grogan
The Pineapple Express is a well-known atmospheric river which brings moisture from the tropical Pacific, near Hawaii, to the West Coast of the United States and Canada, according to NOAA. The Bay Area and much of the West Coast will continue to see large amounts of rain and snowfall as the Pineapple Express remains in full swing for the first three weeks of January.
