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How the Recent Storms Impacted San Diego’s Water Supply in Reservoirs

/in , , /by /Fox 5 San Diegoby Danielle Dawson

With recent storm systems that swept through the west, California has seen more precipitation this year than normal, bringing the water supply stored in reservoirs — both locally and across the state — up from historic lows to levels that are some of the highest in years.

And with drought conditions having improved in much of California, experts say that the amount of water captured from this year’s particularly wet winter could help ease the impact of hotter, drier weather in San Diego, as the state recovers its depleted water supplies.

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California Storms Create Paradox: Too Much Water in Reservoirs, Too Soon

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Alastair Bland

Two winters’ worth of snow has already fallen in the Sierra Nevada since Christmas, pulling California from the depths of extreme drought into one of its wettest winters in memory.

But as a series of tropical storms slams the state, that bounty has become a flood risk as warm rains fall on the state’s record snowpack, causing rapid melting and jeopardizing Central Valley towns still soggy from January’s deluges.

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Reservoir Releases Underway as California Braces for Atmospheric Rivers

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Natalie Hanson

Once mired in drought, California now has too much of a good thing and has opened spillways on key reservoirs as the first of two atmospheric rivers made landfall Thursday afternoon.

The Golden State activated the Flood Operation Center ahead of the incoming storms, to notify officials of high water levels and support local flood relief efforts.

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In California, a Race to Capture the Water Before It Escapes

/in , , /by /The Wall Street Journalby Jim Carlton

PETALUMA, Calif.—Neil McIsaac has something many other dairy farmers here don’t: a storm-runoff capture system that can provide backup water for his herd when local reservoirs go dry, as they did last year.

Already, he and others involved in the project say it has proven its worth. It has captured 670,000 gallons so far this winter, enough to slake the thirst of his 700 cows for a month, Mr. McIsaac said.

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California Lowering Dam Water Levels, Warns of Flood Threat as Storm Hits

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith and Ian James

With back-to-back storms to hit California in the coming days, state officials are scrambling to make strategic releases from key reservoirs in hopes of preventing a repeat of the flooding that killed nearly two dozen people in January.

At least 10 rivers are forecast to overflow from the incoming “Pineapple Express” storm, which is expected to drop warm, heavy, snow-melting rain as it moves from the Central Coast toward the southern Sierra beginning Thursday night into Saturday.

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Storm Threatens California With More Torrential Rain, Possible Flooding

/in , , /by /Reutersby Steve Gorman and Brendan O'Brien

Millions of Californians were under threat on Thursday from an approaching storm that could trigger intense downpours and widespread flooding in many parts of the state, including in some mountainous areas already buried under a near-record snowfall.

After a weeks of unusually bad weather on the West Coast, the storm known as an atmospheric river could dump as much as 3 inches (8 cm) of rain in the San Francisco Bay area and across the Central Coast from Thursday through the weekend, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in its forecast.

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Was California Consulted in Recent Colorado River Negotiations?

/in , , /by /KUNCby Alex Hager

States that use water from the Colorado River are caught in a standoff about how to share shrinking supplies, and their statements about recent negotiations send mixed messages. California officials say they were not consulted as other states in the region drew up a letter to the federal government with what they called a “consensus-based” set of recommendations for water conservation. Leaders in states that drafted the letter disagree with that characterization.

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La Niña, Which Worsens Hurricanes and Drought, is Gone

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Seth Borenstein

After three nasty years, the La Niña weather phenomenon that increases Atlantic hurricane activity and worsens western drought is gone, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.

That’s usually good news for the United States and other parts of the world, including drought-stricken northeast Africa, scientists said.

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Wet Weather on the Way Will Be Put to Good Use at the San Diego Airport

/in , , /by /Fox 5 San Diegoby Sarah Alegre

Thousands of gallons of stormwater runoff was captured by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority last year. Now, all that water from recent storms and wet weather on the way is being reused for sustainability efforts, instead of running off into the San Diego Bay.

According to the San Diego International Airport, 800,000 gallons of storm water in 2022 was captured and reused for a bigger and better purpose. To give an idea of how much was collected, it’s enough to fill more than an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

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Has Rain Helped Lake Mead Water Levels?

/in , , /by /Newsweekby Robyn White

A particularly wet season has swept across the southwestern U.S., a region that has suffered under a severe megadrought for over two decades. But what has this meant for Colorado River reservoir Lake Mead?

Storms of rain and snow have hit California particularly badly in recent months, and have spread into neighboring states like Nevada. Reservoirs like Lake Mead rely on seasonal snowmelt and rainfall.

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