SoCal Storm 2024: ARkStorm theories debunked by scientists

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Cars drive though the flooded northbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway between Goldenwest and Seapoint Streets in Huntington Beach on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. A state of emergency was declared as this Southern California storm is being called xe2x80x9cpotentially catastrophic and life-threateningxe2x80x9d by weather experts. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The recent storm in Southern California has people sharing photos and videos on social media, discussing how intense the heavy rain is. Among that discussion, people have been using terms like “Pineapple Express,” “Atmospheric River” and even “ARkStorm.”

RELATED: More than 10 inches of rain hits some Southern California areas

An ARkStorm is a type of atmospheric river. Atmospheric rivers are “relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere – like rivers in the sky.” ARkStorm’s on the other hand are basically a worst case scenario megastorm that was developed as a weather model in 2011. They are a “hypothetical but plausible extreme storm & flood scenario” for California.

Scientists took to social media to debunk theories that some believed that the storm coming to Southern California was an ARkStorm.

Some people also made light of the heavy weather and poked fun at ARkStorm hysteria.

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