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‘Extraordinary is No Longer Extraordinary’: US Scientists on a Year of Climate Disasters

/in , , /by /The Guardian

The American west faced an unprecedented year of climate disasters in 2021.

A cold wave in February triggered temperatures 50F below average in Texas, killing at least 150 across the state and leaving millions without power and water. Heatwaves over the summer broke temperature records across different western states, killing hundreds in the northwestern US and Canada. Fires seared through large swathes of the west, razing the northern California town of Greenville and searing through groves of giant sequoia trees.

This summer, the Guardian interviewed a panel of climate scientists about their experiences living through the crises that climate research had long foretold. As the year ends, they share their reflections on what’s happened – and what gives them hope, even as climate catastrophe looms.

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Drought Remains a Threat Even After Wet December

/in , , /by /Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol

Despite December’s heavy rains and record snowfall, water agencies remain geared up for California’s two-year-old drought to extend through 2022.

The precipitation did bring encouraging signs, including a Dec. 30 report from the Department of Water Resources that the snowpack at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada is at a healthy level. The 78 inches of snow was 202% of the average for the site at that time of year, offering hope for an abundance of the imported water used in much of Southern California.

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Higher Rates for LADWP’s Biggest Water Users Are Now in Effect

/in , , /by /Spectrum News 1by Susan Carpenter

Water-hogging customers in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power service area will see higher bills this year.

Effective Jan. 1, LADWP began charging its heaviest water users as much as $3.60 more for every 748 gallons they take from their taps. Water bills for customers who use lower amounts will stay roughly the same as last year.

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LAFCO Finalizes Denial of Monterey Peninsula Water Management District’s Cal Am Takeover

/in , /by /Monterey Heraldby Tom Wright

The Monterey County Local Agency Formation Commission voted 5-2 Wednesday to finalize its denial of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District’s planned takeover of California American Water.

The 5-2 LAFCO vote followed its initial vote Dec. 6 to dismiss the water district’s application for the buyout, an acquisition mandated by a 2018 ballot measure.

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San Diego Experiencing Longest Sub-70 Degree Weather in Six Years

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

The National Weather Service says that San Diego’s daytime high temperature remained below 70 degrees on Wednesday for the 37th consecutive day.

By mid-afternoon, the temperature had only reached 65 and was not trending upward.

This is the longest that the city has stayed below 70 since 2015-16, when it remained unusually cool for 38 days between December 10 and January 16.

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Can Cloud Seeding Squeeze More Rain out of Storms? How Much?

/in , /by /KCRWby Kathryn Barnes

Despite a rush of rain and snow heading into 2022, 85% of California remains in severely dry conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

That’s why water agencies in Southern California and beyond are trying to squeeze a bit more water out of the storms that come this winter using a method called cloud seeding.

It’s a weather modification technique that uses silver iodide to bond cloud droplets together to form ice crystals, which grow into snowflakes and fall as either snow or rain, depending on the elevation.

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Sen. Bill Dodd Introduces Remote Water Monitoring Bill

/in , /by /Woodland Daily Democratby Robyn Dobson

Sen. Bill Dodd introduced a new remote water monitoring bill this week aimed at encouraging more efficient use of water.

With California experiencing longer and more frequent droughts, the new legislation that was authorized on Wednesday will allow for the remote sensing of water diversions and create a more accurate measurement of available resources, according to a press release from Dodd’s office.

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No, California’s Drought Isn’t Over. Here’s Why.

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Rachel Becker

In a clear sign that the drought persists, California today adopted new emergency regulations aimed at stopping residents from wasting the state’s precious water.

The rules ban practices such as hosing down sidewalks and driveways with drinking water, washing cars without a shutoff nozzle on the hose and irrigating lawns and gardens too soon after rain.

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California Approves New Water-Wasting Rules as Conservation Falls Below Newsom’s Target

/in , , /by /Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

Recent rains have eased California’s drought, but in the dry November before December’s deluge, many of the state’s residents still weren’t heeding calls to conserve water.

For the fifth month in a row since Gov. Gavin Newsom asked California residents to voluntarily cut water use, they missed the target — by a lot, largely due to lagging conservation by Southern Californians. Amid that news, and emphasizing that California’s drought still isn’t over, state water officials approved new rules Tuesday to prohibit wasteful water practices like washing cars without a hose shutoff nozzle.

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California is Suddenly Snow-Capped and Very Wet. But How Long Will the Water Rush Last?

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times by Hayley Smith and Paul Duginski

The dusty hills of Griffith Park are sprouting shades of green. In Pasadena, water is streaming through arroyos that only weeks ago sat caked and dry. And from the perfect vantage point downtown, the distant San Gabriel Mountains are gleaming with crowns of snow.

After one of the driest years in recent memory, Los Angeles — and California — is off to a notably wet start. The state received more precipitation in the final three months of 2021 than in the previous 12 months, the National Weather Service said.

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