Atmospheric Ocean: The Megaflood That Drowned the American West

California is legendary for its devastating droughts, but its greatest existential threat comes from the sky. In the winter of 1861, a massive atmospheric river-a flying ocean of water vapor-stalled over the West Coast and unleashed forty-three consecutive days of torrential, freezing rain. The resulting megaflood turned the entire 300-mile stretch of the Central Valley into an inland sea. Sacra...