The state of California has set big goals for switching over to green energy within the next decade. The difference with these energy source, they depend on the weather. Water (hydro energy), wind (wind turbines), and sun (solar energy) are the key components to generating renewable energy. In California, lawmakers have set high standards for how green we want to be in the next 10 to 20 years. The goal is to have switched over 33% of the state to renewable energy sources by 2020 and half of the state by 2030.

After more than a decade of dead lawns, vacant storefronts, and failed community action, District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele’s report of a significant decrease in future water rates took a while to sink in with residents Tuesday at the Northshore Community Center in Lucerne.

In fact, he had to ask them for a response.

The audience erupted in applause. Finally, some cheer in a town that recently has had little reason to celebrate, at least when it came to the water bill.

“This is fantastic news for everyone,” 26-year resident William Becker said. “The best I’ve heard in a long time.”

New research suggests that “flash droughts” – like the one that unexpectedly gripped the Southern Rockies and Midwest in the summer of 2012 – could be predicted months in advance using soil moisture and snowpack data.

Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) analyzed the conditions leading up to the 2012 drought, which ultimately caused $30 billion in economic losses, looking for any warning signs that a drought was on the way.

Rain will douse California late this week, with the potential for some rain to reach southern portions of the state. While the rain will be beneficial in terms of the drought, enough rain can fall to cause travel disruptions and localized flash flooding from Thursday to Friday. More than 40 percent of California is dealing with extreme to exceptional drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor released on Oct. 20. On Sunday, the city of Victorville, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, received rain for the first time since April 28, picking up 0.11 of an inch.