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Santa Monica Has Captured Most of Its Rain This Winter

/in , /by /Spectrum News 1by Susan Carpenter

As yet another atmospheric river descends on Southern California this week, Santa Monica is prepared. Since November, the city has been using a first-of-its-kind water recycling facility to capture rain and store it underground for future use.

“Instead of this water flowing into the ocean, we’re taking that back and keeping it locally to replenish water supplies,” Santa Monica water resources manager Sunny Wang told Spectrum News 1, as he stood atop the stealthy infrastructure that makes it possible: a parking lot.

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California, Battered by Atmospheric Rivers, Faces a Big Melt This Spring

/in , , /by /Inside Climate Newsby Bob Berwyn

The latest atmospheric river surging into California probably won’t result in worst-case flooding, state water officials and scientists said Monday. But as global warming shifts the range of possibilities, this winter’s often record levels of snow and rain could set the stage for deluges in spring if there are more strong storms or an early heatwave, they warned.

The series of intense storms started on the last day of 2022, resulting in early January floods that killed 22 people and a federal emergency declaration in 17 counties.

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Water Use Restrictions Eased

/in , /by /Antelope Valley Pressby Allison Gatlin

As atmospheric rivers continue to pummel the state and reservoirs are filling beyond their historical levels, the Palmdale Water District is rolling back mandated water use restrictions.

The Board of Directors on Monday voted to change mandated water conservation measures to voluntary, removing fines and patrols for landscape watering outside the prescribed schedules.

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San Diego Cliffs Likely to Collapse as Rain Continues

/in , /by /NBC 7 San Diegoby Mari Payton

It’s a race against the rain as Encinitas city workers try to stabilize a growing sinkhole on Lake Drive. Rainfall last Friday totaling 1.3 inches caused the pre-existing sinkhole on Lake Drive to expand.

Patricia Dunlap, who lives nearby said, “It’s getting bigger and bigger with more rains coming. It’s a scary thing.”

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Here’s How Much Rain Fell in 43 San Diego County Communities Through Early Wednesday

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

As the rainfall figures below show, San Diego County received heavy precipitation overnight and early Wednesday from a Pacific storm that was enhanced by moisture from the sub-tropics. The system also has kicked up 26 mph winds at San Diego International Airport. And it created fog that reduced the carrier Carl Vinson to a silhouette in San Diego Bay.

The National Weather Service said that an additional 0.50 inches to 0.70 inches could fall by Wednesday night.

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San Diego County Water Authority Hosts Colorado River Board of California

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

The San Diego County Water Authority will host water leaders from throughout Southern California March 15 for the monthly meeting of the Colorado River Board of California. On Tuesday, March 14, before the formal meeting, CRB board members will tour projects in the region that promote water resiliency.

The CRB will consider the complex water supply issues facing the Southwest U.S. during its meeting. San Diego Congressman Scott Peters is also scheduled to address the CRB.

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Relay Race: How ‘Zanjeros’ Get Colorado River Water to California Farms

/in , , /by /Christian Science Monitorby Sarah Matusek

In the right light, Jeff Dollente seems to make the sun rise. Standing over a canal, he cranks a wheel as the sun ascends and the sky yawns off the dark.

Mr. Dollente doesn’t deliver the morning, but in southeastern California’s Imperial Valley, his job is just as big. He delivers Colorado River water – a vital resource at risk – to farms that feed the rest of the United States.

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Another Atmospheric River is Coming, Ranked 2 to 3 … But What Does That Scale Mean?

/in , , /by /LAistby Erin Stone

Another atmospheric river approaches this Tuesday. It is ranked on a scale of 2 to 3 … but what does that ranking mean and why do we have it?

And, as the climate crisis drives increasingly extreme weather, communicating just how extreme that weather actually is can also be challenging. From extreme heat to atmospheric rivers, weather hazard scales are no longer just for hurricanes and tornadoes.

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Age, Drought, Rodents and Neglect Weaken California Levees, Heightening Flood Danger

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Susanne Rust and Ian James

The levee breach that left an entire California town underwater this weekend is putting a spotlight on how the state’s vital flood control infrastructure is being weakened by age, drought, climate change, rodents and neglect — leaving scores of communities at risk.

On Friday night, the swollen Pajaro River burst through the worn-down levee, flooding the entire town of Pajaro and sending its roughly 3,000 residents into what officials are now estimating to be a multi-month-long exile. A second breach was reported on Monday.

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Scientists Confirm Global Floods and Droughts Worsened by Climate Change

/in , , /by /PBSby Isabella O'Malley

The intensity of extreme drought and rainfall has “sharply” increased over the past 20 years, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Water. These aren’t merely tough weather events, they are leading to extremes such as crop failure, infrastructure damage and even humanitarian crises.

The big picture on water comes from data from a pair of satellites known as GRACE, or Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, that were used to measure changes in Earth’s water storage — the sum of all the water on and in the land, including groundwater, surface water, ice, and snow.

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