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The Start of California’s Fire Season Has Moved up 6 Weeks Since 1990 Thanks to Climate Change

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Corinne Purtill

You are not imagining it. Fire season in California is indeed starting earlier and lasting longer in virtually every region of California than it did two decades ago, researchers have found, thanks largely to human-caused climate change.

In the Sierra Nevada, fire season starts about 24 days earlier than it did in the early 1990s. In the Northern Basin and Range region, which runs along the northernmost border with Nevada, it’s 31 days earlier.

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Could California Be in Store for a Drought? What You Need to Know

/in , /by /Fox 5 San Diegoby Sharisse Cohee

While San Diego may be known for its sparkling beaches, some areas of the county are also susceptible to extreme heat and wildfires, which can pose a continued risk of drought throughout California.

With elevated heat advisories coming into effect in several regions of the county this week, including El Cajon, Escondido and Campo, the risk of drought in these areas also rises.

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SoCal Heat Wave Peaks Thursday, but Sweltering Temperatures Will Last for Days

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Clara Harter

The worst of Southern California’s ongoing heat wave is expected to land Thursday, but relief is not yet in sight. Temperatures will remain toasty over the weekend, and another hot spell is forecast next week.

Temperatures will hit the triple digits in the San Fernando and Antelope valleys on Thursday, while interior regions of Los Angeles County will see temperatures in the 90s, according to the National Weather Service. Lancaster even has a shot at matching its previous daily temperature record of 107 degrees, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Devin Black.

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Residents Urged to Boil Water as Outage Affects Thousands in Granada Hills, Porter Ranch

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Noah Goldberg and Ian James

About 9,200 households in Granada Hills and Porter Ranch were dealing with a water service outage on Wednesday after the Los Angeles Department of Water Power announced that emergency repairs were underway at a pump station.

The problem arose on Tuesday afternoon. The DWP said that as crews were making repairs of a leak at a pump station that connects to a 10-million-gallon tank, a valve controlling the flow of water failed to open.

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California Fires Are Burning and Incoming Heat Wave Could Make Things Worse

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Grace Toohey

Authorities in California are bracing themselves for a prolonged heat wave this week that could amplify the risks of a wildfire and intensify fires already burning in the southern and central portions of the state.

The warming trend is forecast to bake almost all of inland California over the next week, dialing up the heat on what’s already been a fiery summer in the state’s southern half, and raising the risks up north after a relatively quiet start to the season.

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Major Clean Power Plant Serving l.a. Goes Fully Online in Kern County

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

One of the largest solar and battery power plants in the United States is now supplying Los Angeles and Glendale from Kern County.

Local leaders and clean energy experts gathered Tuesday beneath a blazing desert sun to mark the initiation of full production from 1.36 million solar panels and 172 lithium iron phosphate batteries that make up the Eland solar-plus-storage electricity project. It’s as large as 13 Dodger stadiums, parking lots included, and will generate 7% of the electricity for all of the city of Los Angeles, much of it at a record-low price.

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Groundwater Is Drying Out, Heating Up, and Causing Sea Level Rise

/in , /by /Gristby Rebecca Egan McCarthy

The Verde River is one of the last free-flowing rivers in Arizona, winding through what’s known as the Verde Valley before feeding into the Salt River. Agriculturally, the valley is relatively fertile, supporting crops like sweet corn, alfalfa, peaches, and pecans, as well as a small wine industry. Recently, though, residents have found that the water below their feet is drying up.

Faith Kerns grew up in the area, and her parents still live in her childhood home. This summer when they tried to turn on the garden hose, which is connected to their groundwater well — a common source for household water in the region — nothing came out.

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Southern California Rainfall Totals Drop By as Much as 75%

/in , /by /SFGateby Farley Elliott

While Southern California has managed to escape the worst of the summer heat (so far), mild June and July temperatures have probably helped obscure the region’s single biggest issue: water, or the lack thereof. Despite the easy weather, this part of the world has been hurtling deeper into drought conditions since early spring, and new data shows just how bad things have gotten from Santa Barbara to San Diego.

Recent statewide precipitation data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows just how little rainfall Southern California has received since Oct. 1, the start of the state’s formal water year. Monitors in Santa Barbara have only collected 7.09 inches of rain in that time, compared to last year’s giant tally of 25.16 inches during that period. Historically, Santa Barbara would have received 17.17 inches by now, meaning the Central Coast city’s rainfall totals are down by nearly 60%. Things aren’t much better elsewhere, either.

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Officials Frightened by Drastic Transformation in Los Angeles Water Source: ‘Not in Good Shape’

/in , /by /The Cool Downby Daniel Gala

State officials and nonprofit groups have sounded the alarm on the City of Los Angeles’ failed promises to restore water levels at California’s Mono Lake, citing massive harms being done to the local ecosystem, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“It’s not in good shape right now,” said Barthshé Miller, policy director of the nonprofit Mono Lake Committee, per the Times. “There is a systemic illness in the lake in terms of the health of the ecosystem, and it needs more water to recover to full health and vitality.”

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‘It Needs More Water’: Calls Grow for Boosting Mono Lake by Easing L.A.’s Water Reliance

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

The picturesque tufa towers on the shores of Mono Lake, formed over centuries by underwater springs and left high and dry as Los Angeles diverted water from nearby creeks, have long been a symbol of the saline lake. Visitors who stroll beside the lapping water take photos of the craggy calcium carbonate formations as flocks of migratory birds soar overhead.

But residents, local officials and environmentalists say the lake’s level should be much higher than it is today, and that the fully exposed tufa spires show L.A. remains far from meeting its obligation to restore the lake’s health.

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