Much of the flood-inducing rainfall that has pummeled California over the last month flowed into the region via a river in the sky. But these so-called atmospheric rivers, which transport large quantities of water vapor poleward from the tropics, can wreak havoc in the Southeast as well. University of Georgia geography and atmospheric sciences researchers provide the first detailed climatological analysis of Southeastern atmospheric rivers in a new study published in the International Journal of Climatology. “Drought-busting rainfall this month, which also compromised the U.S.’s tallest dam, has been associated with these atmospheric rivers or what some call the Pineapple Express,” said J. Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor and director of the atmospheric sciences program at UGA. “Our study shows that they are more common than we thought in the Southeast, and it is important to properly…