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Developing ‘Super’ El Niño Could Match California’s Great Deluge of 1997-98

/in , /by /GV Wireby Bill McEwen

Current El Niño conditions appear likely to become comparable to the “great” El Niño of 1997-98, according to an experimental prediction system used by the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Atmospheric Research.

“Our forecast system has shown that it can do a remarkably good job of accurately hindcasting past El Niño events when we’ve tested it using historical data, which gives us high confidence in this forecast,” said NCAR scientist Stephen Yeager, who helped lead the modeling effort.

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The Southwest US Monsoon Was Strange. Phoenix Was Record Dry, but California and Nevada Were Soaked

/in , /by /Weather Underground by Jonathan Erdman

The Southwest monsoon has wrapped up, and it featured a weird split of record dry conditions in parts of Arizona and soaking rain, including from the remnants of a former hurricane in California, Nevada and other states.

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Report: Grand Canyon Groundwater May Increase in a Warmer Climate

/in , /by /Courthouse News Service by Gabriel Tynes

To understand where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve come from. That’s the idea researchers were pursuing with the recent geochemical analysis of a single stalagmite from a cave in Grand Canyon National Park.

More specifically, they measured the ratio of stable isotopes in calcite deposits within the stalagmite to help predict how the volume of groundwater aquifers may be affected by a warming climate.

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Reliable Water Supplies Make San Diego Region Well-Prepared for 2024

/in , /by /The Vista Press by Editor Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Thanks to a decades-long supply diversification strategy and continued efficient use of water across the region, the San Diego County Water Authority announced today that the region has reliable supplies to meet demands in Water Year 2024, which started Oct. 1.

Hydrologists use Oct. 1 to begin measuring the snow and rain that will help carry water users through dry summer months the following calendar year. This fall, El Niño conditions continue to strengthen and could bring above-average precipitation to Southern California.

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Wettest, Wildest, Weirdest Rainy Season in Nearly 20 Years Comes to End in San Diego County

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

From the backcountry of Campo to the back roads of Ramona, firefighters were ready to roll last fall at even the hint of wildfire.

Two years of below-average rain and high temperatures had left the landscape parched. Something as small as heat from a car muffler could be enough to ignite grass. Firefighters described the region as primed to burn.

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Colorado River Officials to Expand Troubled Water Conservation Program in 2024

/in , , /by /Colorado Newslineby Robert Davis

Colorado River officials plan to expand a conservation program next year that pays farmers and ranchers to use less water. But questions remain about some of the proposed ideas and the program’s overall efficacy.

The state initially launched the System Conservation Pilot Program in 2015 as a part of a multistate effort to conserve water from the Colorado River, which provides water for millions of residents throughout seven states as well as Mexico. The effort was designed to see if conservation efforts could stabilize the water levels in critical reservoirs along the river, like Lake Powell.

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Pamphlets Sent to Voters Ahead of District 4, Water Separation Special Elections

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

Information pamphlets have been sent out to registered voters for the upcoming special elections on Nov. 7, including the District 4 supervisor runoff.

Voters who live in the Fourth Supervisorial District, City of Chula Vista, Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District will be receiving the pamphlet in the next few days, county officials say.

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How Much Rainfall Has San Diego County Had This Water Year?

/in , , /by /Fox 5 by Danielle Dawson Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego County has seen its fair share of storms over the last year, bringing historic levels of rainfall to the region.

After the driest three-year period on record, California has been battered by extensive precipitation, between a series of unrelenting atmospheric rivers that hit last winter and more recently, Tropical Storm Hilary.

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A Very Wet Year for San Diego

/in , , /by /KPBS by Erik Anderson

San Diego’s water year ends Saturday — and it will be recorded as the 14th wettest year on record for the city.

A recorded 15.72 inches of rain fell at the San Diego Airport over the past 12 months. The weather station there typically sees about 9.5 inches a year.

It was the wettest year ever on Palomar Mountain. Rainfall there totaled 69.24 inches.

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IID Director Dockstader Elected to ACWA Region 9 Board

/in , , /by /Imperial Valley Pressby Staff Report

Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Director Gina Young Dockstader has been elected to serve on the Association of California Water Agency’s (ACWA) Region 9 Board for the 2024-2025 term, the water association announced this week after finalizing its board officer and regional election results.

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