You are now in California and the U.S. Media Coverage category.

Climate Change Will Bring Multiple Disasters at Once, Study Warns

/in , /by /CBS San Francisco

In the not-too-distant future, disasters won’t come one at a time. Instead, according to new research, we can expect a cascade of catastrophes, some gradual, others abrupt, all compounding as climate change takes a greater toll. While all regions of the globe face compounding threats, the study cited California and Florida as two prime examples close to home. “Facing these climatic changes will be like getting into a fight with Mike Tyson, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Jackie Chan — all at the same time.”

Full Story

California Areas Torched By Wildfires Face New Dangers—Flooding and Mudslides

/in , /by /Time Magazineby Tara Law

The rain that’s forecasted for later this week may give California some much-needed relief from the deadly and destructive wildfires plaguing the state. But too much sudden rainfall may pose its own dangers for land that has been burned. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for the Butte County area, which is fighting the Camp Fire, for Wednesday afternoon through Friday morning. The warning states that there’s a chance of heavy rain which could trigger “flash floods, rockslides and/or debris flows” in a areas near the fire.

Full Story

OPINION: Can Gov. Brown Cut Water Deal Before He Leaves?

/in , /by /The Mercury News (San Jose)by Dan Walters

As the Civil War raged, William Brewer, a young botanist from upstate New York, spent five years cataloging California’s natural attributes for its Legislature. As he and his crew traversed the state by mule in their annual sojourns, living off the land, Brewer found much to commend. But in letters to his brother, decades later assembled into a must-read book, “Up and Down California,” Brewer also wondered whether its climate would impede its development.

Full Story

Crews Under Pressure To Find California Wildfire Victims’ Remains Before Storm

/in , /by /CBS News (New York)

As rain moves closer to fire-ravaged communities in Northern California, federal search-and-rescue team member Brian Ferreira said the pressure was on to find remains of victims of the Camp Fire. Almost 700 people were reported missing, and at least 79 people are dead. “The material that we’re dealing with it’s heavily, you know, ash and soot, and when the water touches that, it kinda turns to sediment, almost like soil again,” Ferreira said. “It is kinda urgent, yeah, that we get through this as quick as we can.”

Full Story

Will California Fires Create Toxic Rain? Experts Say No—Here’s Why

/in , /by /Newsweek (New York)by Shane Croucher

Experts debunked a message shared thousands of times on social media that warned of the threat of “extremely toxic” rain as a consequence of the Camp Fire in California. The Facebook post told people not to let animals or pets out into the “toxic” rain, to wash them thoroughly if they do get out, and to keep a set of “outside” clothes and to change out of them immediately upon arriving home.

 

Full Story

Upcoming Pattern Change Will Bring Much-Needed Rain To California And Warmer Temperatures To Central U.S. As Northeast Shivers

/in , /by /The Weather Channelby Linda Lam

A pattern change is expected to take place this week that will bring long-awaited rainfall to the West, including California, and relief from the blasts of cold air in the central United States. For much of November, a southward dip in the jet stream has been in place over the central and eastern U.S. This has brought rounds of cold air, along with periods of rain and snow. In the West, the dominant pattern has been dry and mild conditions due to an upper-level ridge of high pressure near the West Coast.

Full Story

Water In California

/in , /by /The Economist

The federal government and the state of California seem to love suing each other, and have done so dozens of times in the past two years without causing anyone much damage. But President Donald Trump is now threatening to sue the state over control of water. This could harm a lot of people, because water is the source of the most contentious and enduring battles in America’s largest state.

Full Story

Major Colorado River Water User Floats Arizona Drought Plan

/in , /by /Associated Pressby Felicia Fonseca

A major Colorado River water user has proposed an interim plan for Arizona as the state faces looming a looming deadline to manage expected shortages. The Central Arizona Project board said its proposal could jumpstart talks after previous ones failed to gain consensus among water users. The agency wants to draw up to 400,000 acre-feet of water it stored in Lake Mead and 50,000 acre-feet in Lake Pleasant, and implement a $60 million conservation program to lessen the burden of shortages on mainly farmers and developers. Another program would help improve groundwater systems but doesn’t have a price tag.

Full Story

California Tunnels Project Circling The Drain After Elections

/in , /by /Bloomberg by David Schultz

This month’s elections may have mortally wounded California’s chances for a long-delayed $23 billion water tunnel project. The so-called Delta Tunnels project would allow the Golden State to more efficiently transfer up to 1.6 trillion gallons of water every year from the northern part of the state to the south. The project’s biggest cheerleader, Gov. Jerry Brown (D), is leaving office because of term limits and his successor, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), lacks’ Brown’s enthusiasm for the tunnels.

Full Story

El Nino Holds Weather Uncertainty For California

/in , /by /Western FarmPressby Tim Hearden

Forecasters are confident that weak El Nino atmospheric conditions will set in as the winter progresses, and in California, that can mean anything. While El Nino conditions are known for producing wet, warm storms from the south, state and National Weather Service forecasters say there’s an equal chance of below-normal, normal or above-normal precipitation in California this winter.

Full Story