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Late October Rains Could Dampen Wildfires and Help With Drought, Forecasters Say

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

A wetter than average forecast for late October could dampen wildfires burning in Northern California and help ease drought conditions, according to the National Weather Service.

The latest weather outlook for the latter part of this month calls for above-normal precipitation in California, with possible high-elevation heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. There is also potential for an atmospheric river between Oct. 21 to Oct. 27, forecasters said.

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Drought Could Dry Up Popular I-5 Oasis

/in , , /by /SJV Waterby Jesse Vad

Kettleman City, a popular stop for travelers on Interstate 5 with its host of gas stations and fast food joints, is on the brink of going dry. If that happens, those businesses could shut down.

Lawmakers and others are trying to work out a fix but so far, things are moving slowly.

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Atmospheric Rivers Left California Mostly Dry in Water Year 2021

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, or CW3E, at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, released its report October 11 on atmospheric rivers during Water Year 2021.

The report, “Distribution of Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers over the U.S. West Coast During Water Year 2021: End of Water Year Summary” shows that more atmospheric rivers landed on the U.S. West Coast in Water Year 2021 than in Water Year 2020. But the majority of those storms reached the Pacific Northwest, not California, where drought conditions have impacted water supply.

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La Niña Brings More Worries Amid Drought

/in , , /by /The Daily Journalby Corey Browning

Though it’s unclear what the effects of the La Niña climate expected this winter will be for Northern California, drought-ending rain is likely not among them.

The climate pattern brought on by cooler-than-usual surface water in parts of the Pacific Ocean creates varying weather globally, but historically the phenomena has meant drier conditions in the southern part of the state and wetter conditions in the Pacific Northwest.

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This Summer was California’s Driest on Record in More Than 100 years, Here’s What That Means

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Danielle Escheverria and Yoohjun Jung
In another alarming measure of California’s historic drought, the summer months this year were the state’s driest on record since 1895, when data-gathering for the government’s standard drought index began.
The monthly average dryness for July, August and September 2021 was -6.8 on the Palmer Drought Severity Index, which indicates extreme drought. Anything below -4.0 on the Palmer scale is considered “extreme drought.” A year with normal precipitation would fall between -0.49 and 0.49 on the scale, and an “extremely wet” year would land above 4.0.

 

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Research Seeks Resilience for Aquifers

/in , , /by /AgAlertby Bob Johnson

One day in early October, a group of University of California, Merced, students went to the campus Smart Farm, augurs in hand, to explore the soil for the best spots to locate moisture sensors. They were not looking in the root zone to monitor how much water is available but instead for areas lower in the soil to study how irrigation and stormwater can travel far enough beneath the plants to recharge the groundwater below.

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Biden Pursues Reversal of Rules for Water Projects

/in , , /by /AgAlertby Christine Souza

The struggle over management of water supplied through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta continues as the Biden administration seeks a reversal of rules put in place by agencies under the Trump administration.

Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation sent a letter to federal fisheries agencies and announced it is reinitiating consultation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service 2019 biological opinions related to the coordinated, long-term operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project.

The two water projects are California’s primary water-delivery systems that guide pumping of water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, sending water south to tens of millions of people and to millions of acres of farmland.

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Atmospheric Rivers Are Stable For Now — But Change Is On The Way

/in , , /by /Yale Newsby Jim Shelton

Yale researchers are charting the course of mighty “rivers” in the sky that are holding steady in the face of climate change — for now.

In future decades, however, climate-induced changes to these atmospheric rivers could drastically increase extreme precipitation events in some parts of the world, they report in a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Atmospheric rivers — long, winding filaments of intense water vapor — account for as much as 90% of the moisture sent toward the North and South poles.

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White House Launches Climate Initiatives to Arm Communities Against Floods, Extreme Weather

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Kasha Patel

The White House announced Tuesday that it would work to revise building standards for flood-prone communities across the country in the face of climate change, while launching tools to make climate information more accessible to the public.

The move is part of the Biden administration’s broader effort to push the United States to reckon with the costs of global warming by factoring in the long-term consequences of decisions being made today.
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Water Authority Wins National 2021 EPA WaterSense Excellence Award

/in , , /by /Water News Network Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the San Diego County Water Authority with a 2021 WaterSense Excellence Award for advancing water efficiency through its Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper, or QWEL, program. The Water Authority received one of 34 WaterSense awards last week at the national WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.

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