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Atmospheric River-fueled Storm Arrives in California. Here’s Which Areas Will Be in the Bull’s-Eye

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Gerry Diaz

California is once again bearing the brunt of inclement weather, as a low-pressure system off the coast rapidly intensifies and becomes a storm, tapping into another atmospheric river that’s flowing between Hawaii and California.

The storm that started Monday night is forecast to raise powerful winds along the coast that will spread to all corners of the Bay Area, Central Coast and Central Valley and peak just before sunrise on Tuesday. These winds will ferry heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and the risk for more flooding across most of the California coast and eventually Southern California.

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More Moisture is Headed to Utah, the West. Will It Help Lake Powell?

/in , /by /Deseret Newsby Amy Joi O’Donoghue

Lake Powell is currently close to 180 feet below full pool and coming off a summer last year where several boat ramps were closed and owners were advised to retrieve their houseboats from the docks.

Releases from a couple of upstream reservoirs, including Flaming Gorge, were made last summer to help the nation’s second largest reservoir and its Glen Canyon Dam, which provides power generation to Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Nebraska.

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EPA to Limit Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Michael Phillis and Matthew Daly

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed the first federal limits on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water, a long-awaited protection the agency said will save thousands of lives and prevent serious illnesses, including cancer.

The plan would limit toxic PFAS chemicals to the lowest level that tests can detect. PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, are a group of compounds that are widespread, dangerous and expensive to remove from water. They don’t degrade in the environment and are linked to a broad range of health issues, including low birthweight and kidney cancer.

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Newsom Loosens Rules to Allow More Floodwater to Flow Into Underground Reservoirs

/in , , /by /The New York Timesby Soumya Karlamangla and Jill Cowan Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

As another round of heavy storms battered California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that he would ease state rules to allow local water agencies to more easily redirect floodwaters to replenish the state’s severely depleted groundwater supplies.

The move comes amid criticism that California has flushed trillions of gallons of water out to sea during this winter’s repeated deluges. Water agencies and experts say the state’s strict rules that limit who can take water from streams and creeks have prohibited the local agencies from capturing the excessive flows, though California desperately needs to bank water for its next drought.

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Battered by Destructive Flooding, California Braces for More Rain

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times

California is bracing for another round of rain beginning Monday as officials assess the damage from severe flooding along the Central Coast and Central Valley, which left scores stranded, and whole blocks under water.

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Sierra Snowpack Hits Record Levels After Recent Storms

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Jess Thomson

The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains has reached record-breaking levels thanks to the deluge of snow smashing California this week.

According to data from the California Department of Water Resources (CDWR), the Southern Sierras—from San Joaquin and Mono counties to Kern county—currently have a snowpack 257 percent greater than the average for this time of year, and 247 percent larger than is average for the usual snowpack peak on April 1.

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An American Water Crisis

/in , , /by /CBC Newsby Alexander Panetta

These are desperate days for the Colorado River.

The pulsing lifeblood of the U.S. southwest is increasingly parched. To avert catastrophe, the U.S. government will, within weeks, propose historic cuts in water access. It’s a frantic move to protect a river that provides so much: drinking water for tens of millions of people, electricity and food. Lots of food.

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Opinion: The West’s Weather Whiplash Should Not Influence Long-Term Water Management

/in , , /by /The Hillby Thomas Piechota

There’s a water contradiction in the West with serious long-term water scarcity in low reservoirs and depleting groundwater tables, while California is in the middle of an extremely wet and snowy winter. As water levels in dangerously depleted Lake Mead and Lake Powell drop to record lows, California has experienced one of the wettest winters on record, with a statewide snowpack that’s almost 200 percent of normal for this time of year and a flooding risks from rain and snow events in March.

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Another Strong Storm May Bring Even More Substantial and Widespread Flooding & Wind-Related Impacts Late Mon-Tue

/in , , /by /Weather Westby Daniel Swain

Welp, here we go again. After a long period (a full season, really) of different kinds of exceptional weather conditions all around California, there’s yet one more big storm to come in the immediate future (discussed below). But what has transpired in the past, oh, 48 hours or so?

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Atmospheric River Floods California Towns, Brings Rain, Snow

/in , , /by /APby Martha Mendoza and Olga R. Rodriguez

More than 9,000 California residents were under evacuation orders Friday as a new atmospheric river brought heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, swelling rivers and creeks and flooding several major highways and small rural communities.

In Santa Cruz County, a creek bloated by rain destroyed a portion of Main Street in Soquel, a town of 10,000 people, isolating several neighborhoods. Crews were working to remove trees and other debris and find a way for people to cross the creek, county officials said.