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California Got Snow in April and May. What Does It Mean for the Snowpack?

/in , /by /SFGATEby Amy Graff

After California saw extended periods of dry weather in the middle of winter, a series of late-season storms swept the Golden State in April and May, dusting the Sierra Nevada with fresh snow.

Did those spring snow showers help bolster the dwindling snowpack that historically provides about a third of the state’s water supply?

The short answer is that every little bit helps, but the snow did not come close to making up for almost no precipitation in January through March, normally the height of California’s wet season, said David Rizzardo, chief of hydrology for California’s Department of Water Resources.

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The Biggest Potential Water Disaster in the United States

/in , , /by /The New Yorkerby David Owen

The Sacramento is California’s largest river. It arises near the lower slopes of Mt. Shasta, in the northernmost part of the state, and runs some four hundred miles south, draining the upper corridor of the Central Valley, bending through downtown Sacramento, and, eventually, reaching the Pacific Ocean, by way of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Erik Vink, the executive director of the Delta Protection Commission, a state conservation agency, described the Sacramento to me as “California’s first superhighway.” By the eighteen-fifties, daily steamboats ferried passengers between San Francisco and Sacramento in as little as six hours.

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California to Decide Fate of Controversial Desalination Plant Amid Brutal Drought

/in , , /by /The Guardianby Gabrielle Canon

California officials are poised to decide the fate of a controversial desalination plant planned along its southern coast, in a vote that comes as the American west battles an increasingly perilous drought.

California water use leapt 19% in March, amid one of the driest months on record. After more than a decade of debate, the California coastal commission on Thursday will finally vote on a proposal for a $1.4bn desalination plant in Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles.

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Colorado’s Snowpack Is Melting at a “Ridiculous” Rate

/in , , /by /The Denver Postby Conrad Swanson

Colorado didn’t see enough snow this winter to fully recover from the ongoing megadrought and now what snow the state did see is melting too quickly, experts say.

“If we continue on at the rate we’re at we’re looking at probably a complete meltout by the end of May or beginning of June,” Becky Bolinger, of the Colorado Climate Center, told The Denver Post.

That’s too soon. By several weeks, she said. So drought conditions are likely to worsen, exacerbating what officials are anticipating could be the worst wildfire year in Colorado’s history.

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Rain, Heat, Repeat: What Does Erratic Weather Mean for California Drought and Fires?

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Michael McGough

The pendulum of Northern California weather is getting ready to swing once again, from rain, hail, thunderstorms and snow showers at the start of this week to sunny and much warmer than average temperatures by the weekend.

Temperatures near Sacramento are expected to soar from a forecast high of 65 degrees Tuesday to 92 degrees by Saturday, staying in the upper 80s to low 90s early next week, according to the National Weather Service.

Daytime highs near South Lake Tahoe will jump from the mid-30s Tuesday to the mid-70s this coming weekend. Both are roughly 10 degrees hotter than normal for this time of year.

 

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How Bad is Water Use in California? March is the Worst So Far, Up 19%

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Rachel Becker

Californians emerged from the driest January, February and March on record with the biggest jump in water use since the drought began: a nearly 19% increase in March compared to two years earlier.

Despite the urgent pleas of water officials, California’s water use in March is the highest since 2015, standing in stark contrast to February, when residents and businesses used virtually the same amount of water in cities and towns as two years ago.

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2022 Is California’s Driest Year on Record So Far – An Ominous Sign for Summer and Fall

/in , , /by /The Weather Channelby Jonathan Erdman

California had its driest start to a year since the late 19th century, raising drought and wildfire concerns heading into the summer.

In data released Monday, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information found January through April precipitation in the state was the lowest on record dating to 1895.

The statewide precipitation of 3.25 inches was only 25% of average, topping the previous record-dry January through April from 2013, according to NOAA statistics.

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The Colorado River Needs a Big Moisture Boost. Runoff Forecasts Suggest It Won’t Come From Spring Snowmelt

/in , , /by /CPR Newsby Michael Elizabeth Sakas

Spring snowmelt likely won’t deliver the big water supply bump the drought-stricken Colorado River and its reservoirs need, data from the latest federal river forecast shows.

The May to July season is a crucial time for the river, which is replenished by snowmelt running off the mountains on the Western Slope, and the system is in need of a major moisture boost amid a 20-year drought fueled by climate change.

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“Water Cops” Likely This Summer as Santa Clara County Misses Drought Goal by Large Margin

/in , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

If you waste water in Santa Clara County, water cops could soon be on the way

Since last summer, Santa Clara County residents have been asked to cut water use by 15% from 2019 levels to conserve as the state’s drought worsens. But they continue to miss that target — and by a growing amount.

In March, the county’s 2 million residents not only failed to conserve any water, but they increased use by 30% compared to March 2019, according to newly released data.

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California Desert Water Agencies Win $100 Million in U.S. Funding for Aging Dams, Canals

/in , /by /Desert Sunby Janet Wilson

Southern California desert water districts with aging or failing infrastructure won big federal funding Monday, with more than $100 million allocated for major dam and irrigation canal upgrades that will benefit the Coachella Valley and Imperial County.

The projects are part of $240 million awarded from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday.

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