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California Drought: Sierra Nevada Snowpack Falls Below Average After Dry January

/in , , /by /The Mercury Timesby Paul Rogers

Like the 49ers fourth-quarter lead in Sunday’s NFC Championship game, California’s once-impressive Sierra Nevada snowpack is steadily shrinking.

Only a month ago on New Year’s Day, after big atmospheric river storms in October and December, the statewide Sierra snowpack stood at an impressive 168% of normal for that date, boosting hopes that the state’s severe drought might be ending.

But on Monday, the magnificent became mediocre: The snowpack had fallen to just 93% of its historical average.

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What Dry January Means for Central California Farmers

/in , , /by /ABC 30by Dale Yurong

The snowpack which feeds into Pine Flat Dam is a healthy one.

It’s a little above average at this point, according to the first snow survey of the season conducted by the Kings River Water Association.

“What we’re told is this is the kind of year, the kind of weather pattern where we get wet sequences followed by extended dry sequences and that’s exactly what we’ve seen this season,” says Kings River Watermaster Steve Haugen.

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Opinion: Water District Must Expand Supply by Reconsidering Desalination Plan

/in , , /by /Marin Independent Journalby Richard Ruben

What exactly is being done to solve Marin County’s drought crisis, which is now entering its fourth year? The simple answer is: Not Enough.

Don’t be fooled by the spate of blessed and brief rains. More severe droughts are practically guaranteed and this one is not yet finished despite rising reservoir levels.

Let’s focus on the bottom-line questions: What can be done to make Marin drought-proof and how much will that cost?

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Opinion: With Budget Surplus, Now is the Time to Fund Vital Water Projects

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Jim Nielsen and Andreas Borgeas

Over the past 40 years, California has not completed a major water storage project of statewide significance despite the state’s population nearly doubling.

Without substantial new investments and commitments to capture, store and move water throughout the state, whole communities will be subject to water scarcity and farmers will be unable to produce adequate food supplies, threatening food and national security.

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Dry January and Rain-free Forecast Puts All Hope in a Miracle March

/in , , /by /The Press Democratby Mary Callahan

There’s the kind of Dry January that follows an overly indulgent holiday season, where you swear off alcohol for the first 31 days of the new year.

Then there’s the kind we just had, where, except for a few errant spits of rain, the skies remained clear for an entire month with no significant rain in sight.

It won’t be the first time January has been dry, from a strictly meteorological perspective. And it’s not the worst thing that can happen, assuming there’s been sufficient rain in advance or in the months ahead.

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Opinion: Water May Cost More Now, But 30 Years Ago San Diego Almost Ran Out

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Gary Croucher Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the cost of water — and that makes sense given the economic realities faced by many residents, farmers, and businesses. But it also seems that newer generations of San Diegans do not know that there was a time when we didn’t have water when and where we needed it.

Thankfully, that’s not a problem in San Diego County today even though elsewhere drought-stricken communities face the potential of only having enough water to meet basic health and safety needs.

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Dry January Raises Drought Concerns, Precipitation Relief Not Immediate

/in , , /by /CBS Sacramentoby CBS13 Staff

The nice weather in January is setting the wrong record.

From a wet December to a dry January, this month saw such little precipitation it marks the second driest January on record.

“We need 20 to 21 inches more of precipitation over the Sierra to close the season out to finish at normal,” said Craig Shoemaker, a meteorologist and climate program manager for the National Weather Service.

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Los Angeles Is Building a Future Where Water Won’t Run Out

/in , , /by /Bloombergby Brian Eckhouse and Laura Bliss

A helicopter whisks off a rooftop in downtown Los Angeles, climbs above a thin layer of haze and soars over barren mountains past the city’s edge. Soon, scars of climatic stress are evident to L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and Martin Adams, general manager and chief engineer of the city’s water and power department, as they peer out the windows. Trees torched years ago by wildfire. Flats parched by sun and little precipitation.

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It’s Official — San Diego Will End January With Lowest Rainfall in Nearly a Decade

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Gary Robbins

San Diego will finish January with 0.16 inches of rain, making it the driest January since 2014, when San Diego International Airport recorded 0.01 inches of precipitation, says the National Weather Service.

Forecasters say the airport won’t receive any rain on Sunday or Monday, and that the region is unlikely to get significant precipitation through February 7.

The airport averages 1.86 inches in January.

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New Plan Lays Out Ways to Protect Lake Powell From Drought

/in , , /by /KUERby Lexi Peery

The framework for how Upper Colorado River Basin states will respond to low water levels at Lake Powell is now out for public review.

It’s called the Drought Response Operations Plan, which is part of the larger Drought Contingency Plan signed in 2019. These policies were put in place because of the troubling hydrology in the region.

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