Fraser Valley/California – Why? – song by Annie Lennox.
As usual, FVN has had many questions about this.
Courtesy of Google Search and Google AI: The term “Pineapple Express” is used to describe a specific type of atmospheric river, which is a natural weather phenomenon, not a movie, product, or technology that “became” Atmos at a certain date.
Here is a breakdown of the relevant information regarding the term:
- Natural Phenomenon: A “Pineapple Express” is a meteorological event, a strong, persistent flow of warm, moist air originating in the tropical Pacific near Hawaii and streaming towards the West Coast of North America.
- Term Origin: The name was coined by TV weathercasters in the 1960s to describe this specific moisture “train”.
- Scientific Classification: In the scientific community, the broader phenomenon is known as an atmospheric river. The term “atmospheric rivers” first appeared in scientific literature in 1992.
- Formal Scale: A formal 5-level scale to categorize atmospheric rivers, ranging from “weak” to “exceptional,” was released by the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) in February 2019.
There is a popular 2008 film and a cannabis strain named “Pineapple Express”. Neither of these are related to “Atmos,” which generally refers to Dolby Atmos, a specific audio format used in cinemas and home entertainment systems.
For information on how these weather events are studied and classified, you can visit the NOAA website.
