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‘Rivers In The Sky’ Are Why California Is Flooding

/in , /by /National Geographicby Alejandra Borunda

Powerful rainstorms have battered Northern California this week. The culprit? Atmospheric rivers. The rains were born far away, deep in the tropical Pacific, where water evaporated from the warm ocean surface and fizzed into the atmosphere. The drenched air parcel flow then moved sinuously along, an “atmospheric river” winding its way toward land. When that wet air hit a coast—in this case the West Coast of the U.S.—it dumped that water out as the rain and snow that has overwhelmed Northern California this week.

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The Drought Plan And Water Conservation

/in , /by /Arizona Public Media (Tucson)by Ariana Brocious

Monday is the new deadline for all parties to sign the drought contingency plan — the deal between seven states to share less water on the Colorado River. Arizona state lawmakers approved the deal ahead of a late January deadline but the federal government said it didn’t meet the mark. Meanwhile, some say the plan doesn’t go far enough to ensure Arizona has enough water for the future.

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‘An Excellent Water Year’: Snow Depth Doubles In State’s Latest Sierra Survey

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Michael Mcgough

It’s no surprise, but feet upon feet of Sierra snow across multiple storms in February translated to healthy snow water content for California. How healthy? Department of Water Resources officials observed more than double what they measured last month at Phillips Station near Echo Summit, recording 113 inches of snow depth with a snow water equivalent of 43.5 inches Thursday, according to a news release. A month ago at the February survey (Jan. 31), snow-water equivalent had reached 100 percent of the statewide average (17.3 inches) at the February survey.

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Drought Monitor Only Tells Part Of The Story

/in , /by /ABC 10 (Sacramento)by Monica Woods

The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is released weekly to indicate what areas throughout the United States are experiencing some level of the five-category drought. The USDM levels range from the lower end of Abnormally Dry to the highest level of drought, Exceptional Drought. During the recent five-year drought, which ended with the record-setting winter of 2016-17, Californians were faced with water shortages and much of the state ranked in the Extreme and Exceptional categories.

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Winter Storms Wash Drought Almost Completely Off California Map

/in , /by /SFGate (San Francisco)by Amy Graff

Back-to-back storms hammering California this winter have nearly washed drought off the California map. After the recent atmospheric river, only a lingering sliver of “moderate drought” conditions remains near the Oregon border. The federal Drought Monitor Map, one way to measure drought that’s mainly used in agriculture, shows two percent of the state with “moderate drought” conditions and 13 percent abnormally dry in its Feb. 28 report.

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Oroville Dam Staying Low To Provide Room For Wet Weather, Possible Use Of Reconstructed Spillway

/in , /by /Chico Enterprise-Recordby Robin Epley

Oroville Dam is currently the only reservoir in the state that’s below average elevation — but that’s on purpose, said the state’s Department of Water Resources. “If the lake begins to rise very quickly in the coming weeks due to large storms and increased inflows, then DWR may consider using outflow mechanisms,” the department said in a press release. That could include using the main spillway for the first time since it was rebuilt. The reservoir is currently at 55 percent of total capacity, said DWR’s assistant director of public communications, Erin Mellon. That’s about 80 percent of average.

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Epic Snow In Sierra As Atmospheric River Storms Keep On Coming

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

Atmospheric river storms pounding Northern California with rain have also brought epic snow to the Sierra. Meteorologist Jim Mathews says that since 1950 only six years have surpassed the total “snow water content” that California has right now. The state’s snowpack — measured using the snow’s water content — is at 130% of its usual level on April 1 (after that date, the snow tends to begin to melt). It’s at 150% of the amount that’s normal for this time in February.

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California Touts Desalination, But Take It With A Grain Of Salt

/in , /by /Bloomberg Environmentby Emily C. Dooley

Slimming down a $17 billion plan to shunt water from Northern California to the arid south has the state considering ways to supplement water needs. Desalination is one of the methods getting some attention. California has a water problem, drought or no drought. The new administration has signaled a shift in water policy by specifically talking about turning salty water potable after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he would support only a single tunnel as part of the project known as WaterFix, rather than the two tunnels his predecessor pushed for to bring water to the state’s southern half.

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Time-Lapse Map Shows How Winter Rains Have Washed Away California’s Drought

/in , /by /The Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.)by Nikie Johnson

What a difference a winter can make. On Jan. 1, three-quarters of California was in drought. Just eight weeks later, however, a succession of storms have washed drought conditions away from all but a splotch at the far north edge of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Some of Southern California is still considered abnormally dry, which means there are some lingering water deficits. Considering what the state has been through in recent years, this is good news.

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Governor Delcares State Of Emergency In Local Counties Due To Heavy Storms

/in , /by /CBS Sacramento

California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued an emergency proclamation to help communities respond to the severe winter storms that began in January and have continued through this month. The proclamation was issued for many counties across California, including Calaveras, El Dorado, and Yolo County. This helps those communities recover from potential flooding, mudslides, erosion, power outages, and damage to infrastructure.

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