You are now in California and the U.S. category.

First Days Of 2017 Will Be Cold, Possibly Rainy

Bay Area residents will experience a drop in temperatures this weekend, as a flow of air from Canada moves south into Northern California. Temperatures are expected to dip into the 30s on New Years morning, but areas closer to the water—such as San Francisco—will stay slightly warmer. Meteorologists predict morning temperatures of 45 degrees on Jan. 1. Cold weather will continue into Monday and Tuesday in San Francisco, where daily highs may not reach 50 degrees.

 

 

 

BLOG: The Seven Key Things That Happened In California Water In 2016

This year has been a big one for water. California is still mired in drought, although less of the state is suffering than in previous years and each winter rainstorm brings a fresh bit of optimism. A large reserve of groundwater was found deep under the drought-stricken Central Valley, recycled water continues to gain in popularity, flooding to help fish and farmers is panning out and 2016 will likely wrap up as the hottest year on record. Below are seven other significant milestones that impacted California water and will help shape the year ahead.

More Rain And First Major Snow Dump Of Winter

More rain during the middle of the week and at the end was joined by the largest snowfall since the first week of the year. Pine Cove received another 3 inches of rain. The 3.3 inches last week brought the total rain since July 1, to 13.5 inches. This is nearly 50 percent greater than the long-term average rainfall of 9.2 inches through the end of December.

Climatologist Predicts A Wet Winter, But Warns The Drought Isn’t Over

Los Angeles received about five times the amount of rain this December than it did during the same month last year. William Patzert, a climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has attributed our wetter weather to several changes, including a dissipated “blob” and an absent La Niña condition. Though this is good news, Patzert said it’ll take more than a single rainy season to quench California’s drought.

A New Year Without El Niño

On New Year’s Eve, local groundfish might have a reason to celebrate. In the angling community over the past couple winters, our lucky New Year’s baby has been the El Niño conditions that kept yellowtail and tuna close to home in the winter. This winter, as the pelagic species have moved south and water temps are around 60 degrees, boats have returned to target rockcod, sheephead, and whitefish.

Drought Persists Despite Heavy Rain In Northern California

Despite heavy rain in Northern California, state officials aren’t ready to declare an end to the drought.Tuesday, officials said the Sierra snowpack is at 72 percent of normal.The mountain snow contributes about one third of California’s water when it melts and fills the reservoirs. Northern California had its wettest October in 30 years, although the snowpack is typically deepest in April.

California Drought: Sierra Nevada Snowpack Water Content Below Average, But Officials Say It’s Still Early

The Sierra Nevada snowpack — the source of roughly a third of California’s water supply — remains nearly 30 percent below average for this time of the year despite the state recently witnessing its heaviest rainfall in decades. In an update released Tuesday, California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) said that the snowpack currently has a water content of 10.5 inches, just 72 percent of the Dec. 27 average. “It’s too soon to know whether this winter’s wet season will deliver enough rain and snow to move California closer to the end of the state’s five-year drought,” the DWR said.

Officials: Still Too Early To Declare Drought Over

It’s too soon to declare an end to California’s five-year drought despite the heaviest rain in three decades falling early in the wet season, officials said. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides roughly one-third of California’s water supply, measures at 72 percent of normal for water content, according to the state’s Department of Water Resources’ electronic monitors.

First Snow Survey Of Season Set For Jan. 3; Snowpack’s Water Content Is Below Average, But It’s Still Early

The California Department of Water Resources will conduct its first media-oriented manual snow survey of Water Year 2017 at 11 a.m. on Jan. 3 at Phillips Station, just off Highway 50 near Sierra-at-Tahoe Road approximately 90 miles east of Sacramento. Electronic readings of the Sierra Nevada mountain snowpack on Tuesday peg its statewide water content at 10.5 inches, 72 percent of the December 27 average. The Phillips snow course, which has been measured each winter since 1941, is one of dozens that will be traversed during a 10-day period around Jan.

OPINION: Marc Joffe: State Should Piggyback Off Federal Efforts To Ease Water Woes

Over the objections of California Sen. Barbara Boxer, this month the U.S. Senate passed a new water infrastructure bill that will open the tap of federal money for projects that increase California’s water supply. It’s a good start, but it won’t be enough to solve the Golden State’s water woes. Critics have focused on the bill’s impact on Northern California salmon, the Delta smelt and other endangered species fisheries — impacts that the bill’s supporters strongly reject.