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The document examines the paradoxical future of the western United States, where warming temperatures are projected to cause both more severe droughts and a higher likelihood of catastrophic megafloods. It highlights that while the total number of atmospheric rivers may decrease, those that do occur will be more intense due to the atmosphere's increased capacity to hold water vapor. Furthermore, warming is shifting precipitation from snow to rain, leading to declining snowpack volumes in the Northern Hemisphere and the American Cordillera, which complicates water management and increases flood risks.