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Scripps Institution Researchers Visit Bakersfield College for Ag and Water Study

/in , , /by /Bakersfield.comby Steven Mayer

A changing climate in California could very well mean longer periods of drought, then wetter and more intense storms when the rains finally arrive.

It’s not an ideal scenario when trying to manage precious water in the Golden State.

Learning how to manage California’s water for the greatest benefit — even as these new challenges come to the agriculture-intense San Joaquin Valley — is one of the reasons Tom Corringham led a team of researchers to Bakersfield College on Thursday and Friday.

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Another Atmospheric River Will Thrash Storm-Ravaged California, Threatening More Flooding and Hurricane-force Wind Gusts

/in , /by /CNNby Nouran Salahieh, Rob Shackelford and Holly Yan

Swaths of California still saturated by ruthless storms will get walloped by another atmospheric river, spawning fears of renewed flooding and forcing some residents to flee.

The state has already been hammered by at least 11 atmospheric rivers this season. An atmospheric river is like a fire hose that carries saturated air from the tropics to higher latitudes, dumping relentless rain or snow.

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Scientists: Largest US Reservoirs Moving in Right Direction

/in , , /by /ABC Newsby Susan Montoya Bryan

Parts of California are under water, the Rocky Mountains are bracing for more snow, flood warnings are in place in Nevada, and water is being released from some Arizona reservoirs to make room for an expected bountiful spring runoff.

All the moisture has helped alleviate dry conditions in many parts of the western U.S. Even major reservoirs on the Colorado River are trending in the right direction.

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Southern Sierra Has Biggest Snowpack Ever, Runoff Under Control for Now

/in , , /by /The Sentinel

The southern Sierra now has the largest snowpack in recorded history (as measured by snow water equivalent). Not just for March 15, but at any time.

As of Wednesday, the snowpack is 271% of normal and 260% of April 1 average.The Kings River Water Association confirms that is likely true for the upper Kings watershed as well.

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What California’s Excessive Snow, Rain Mean for State’s Reservoirs

/in , /by /Fox Weatherby Andrew Wulfeck

A series of atmospheric river events with heavy rain and snow have caused California water regulators to open flood gates on water storage facilities, but the uncertainty of when Mother Nature’s faucet will shut off has experts weighing the advantages and disadvantages of letting the precious resource run free.

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Storms End Southern California Water Restrictions for 7M

/in , , /by /AP Newsby John Antczak and Stefanie Dazio

California’s 11th atmospheric river left the storm-soaked state with a bang Wednesday, bringing flooded roadways, landslides and toppled trees to the southern part of the state as well as drought-busting rainfall that meant the end of water restrictions for nearly 7 million people.

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House Lawmakers Join Senators in Rallying Around Colorado River

/in , /by /The Hillby Sharon Udasin

A bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers are forming a “Congressional Colorado River Caucus,” with the goal of collaborating on ways to best address worsening drought conditions across the seven-state basin.

“Together, and working with our colleagues in the Senate, we will collaborate with each other and state and local leaders, putting the interests of our communities above all else,” Rep. Joe Neguse said in a statement on Wednesday.

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PFAs Rule Sets Up Sprawling Legal War

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Pamela King and E.A. Crunden

EPA’s historic move to regulate “forever chemicals” in drinking water has set the stage for a multi-pronged courtroom slugfest among the agency, water utilities that must comply with the rule and multinational conglomerates that have flooded the environment with the toxicants linked to a long list of health problems, including cancer.

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How Rising Temperatures Are Intensifying California’s Atmospheric Rivers

/in , , /by /Gristby Jake Bittle

California is no stranger to big swings between wet and dry weather. The “atmospheric river” storms that have battered the state this winter are part of a system that has long interrupted periods of drought with huge bursts of rain — indeed, they provide somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of all precipitation on the West Coast.

The parade of storms that has struck California in recent months has dropped more than 30 trillion gallons of water on the state, refilling reservoirs that had sat empty for years and burying mountain towns in snow.

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Opinion: Why Rain-On-Snow Floods From Atmospheric Rivers Could Get Much Worse

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Keith Musselman

California’s latest atmospheric rivers are sending rainfall higher into the mountains and onto the state’s crucial snowpack. The rain alone is a problem for low-lying areas already dealing with destructive flooding, but the prospect of rain on the deep mountain snow has triggered widespread flood warnings.

When rain falls on snow, it creates complex flood risks that are hard to forecast. Those risks are also rising with climate change.

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