You are now in California and the U.S. Home Headline Media Coverage category.

San Francisco, Los Angeles to Receive More Heavy Rain

/in , , /by /AccuWeatherby Alex Sosnowski

More moisture-packed storms are expected to pay a visit to California during the first week of 2023 following an atmospheric river that dropped a historic amount of rain on the San Francisco Bay area as well as heavy snow in higher elevations on New Year’s Eve. Because of the saturated state of the ground, another atmospheric river during the middle and latter part of the week will lead to more flooding and mudslides in the Golden State, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

Full Story

Conservationists Fight to End Los Angeles Water Imports From Eastern Sierra’s Mono Lake

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Louis Sahagún

As California enters what is expected to be a fourth year of drought, the State Water Resources Control Board is reviewing a request from environmentalists to suspend Los Angeles Department of Water and Power diversions from Mono Lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. In its request, the nonprofit Mono Lake Committee argues that the combination of drought and diversions from streams that feed the lake are exposing the lake bottom near islands that host one of the world’s largest nesting gull populations.

Full Story

San Diego County Faces Second Straight Week of Back-To-Back Pacific Storms

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

For a second consecutive week, San Diego County will get hit by a pair of back-to-back storms that are part of larger systems that will bring badly needed rain to California’s reservoirs and minimize the risk of wildfires. The polar jet stream has slumped to the south and is guiding storms to the West Coast like a conveyor belt, says the National Weather Service.

Full Story

California’s Snowpack Near Decade High. What’s It Mean for the Drought?

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Scooty Nickerson

As the new year begins, California’s Sierra is closing in on the second-largest snowpack we’ve seen at this time of year in the last two decades, with more snow expected to pummel the mountain range in the coming days. But here’s why it’s far too soon to declare an end to the drought: Last year, we started 2022 with a similar bounty — and then ended the snow season way, way, way below normal.

Full Story

La Niña Expected to Serve Up a Hat Trick

/in , , /by /High Country Newsby Jonathan Thompson

She’s baaaack! For the past two years, La Niña, the cooling of ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, has wreaked havoc on weather around the globe. Now the World Meteorological Organization expects the phenomenon to return for a third consecutive year, a rare occurrence that forecasters predict could bring wackier-than-usual winter weather to the West, once again. 

 

Full Story

Opinion: What California Can Learn From Wave of Storms

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Dan Walters

California, particularly Northern California, was walloped by a major winter rain and snow storm last week and meteorologists expect that high levels of precipitation will continue for at least another week. Despite some damage and at least one death from local flooding and tree-toppling high winds, the storm and the predictions of more to come are welcome relief from what had appeared to be a prolonged drought.

Full Story

Getting Answers: Why Are Dams Releasing Water in a Drought?

/in , , /by /CBS Sacramentoby Andrew Haubner

Folsom Lake is letting the water flow while rains pick up across the valley. December has provided higher-than-average precipitation for the capital region giving way to cautious optimism about just how much longer the state will be in a drought.  But the rainfall also prompted questions about why, in a drought, dams and reservoirs are letting water out instead of holding it in.

Full Story

5 Climate Questions for 2023

/in , /by /Capital & Mainby Mark Schapiro

All good stories start with a question. So here are five questions for journalists to consider as the record-breaking accumulation of greenhouse gases continues into the opening days of 2023.  Climate change, of course, can’t be divided into parts. The answers to these questions, however you devise them, may start small and specific and then, like climate change itself, to borrow the title of a popular 2022 film, illustrate how it is “everything everywhere all at once.”

Full Story

Miracle or Mirage? Atmospheric Rivers End California Drought Year With Heavy Snow and Rain

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

After the driest start to any year on record, California will end 2022 with snow-capped mountains, soaked roadways and — in some places — flood warnings. The soggy end to an otherwise bone-dry year came as something of a surprise. Only weeks earlier, officials sounded the alarm about a rare third appearance of La Niña — a climate pattern in the tropical Pacific that is often associated with dry conditions in the state.

Full Story

Turn Off Irrigation During and After Rainstorms

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by Debbie L. Sklar Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

A series of storms bringing much-needed rain to the San Diego region is also a reminder for residents and businesses to turn off irrigation systems when wet weather is predicted and for at least a week after significant rainfall.

While a series of atmospheric rivers is boosting the Sierra snowpack and easing dry conditions statewide, there is still a long way to go to overcome three arid years. Water-saving actions today can help conserve more of our most precious natural resources when needed.

“Outdoor watering accounts for at least half of a typical household’s water use, which means that cutting back on irrigation during damp and cool periods is one of the easiest ways to live WaterSmart,” said Efren Lopez, a water resources specialist for the San Diego County Water Authority. “With a half-inch of rain in many areas on Tuesday night and several more damp days in the forecast, this is the perfect time to turn off the sprinklers for an extended period.”

Despite the most severe drought conditions in more than 1,200 years, San Diego County continues to have enough water to meet demands due to significant investments in water conservation and supplies. The region’s long-term supply reliability depends on a continued commitment to water-use efficiency indoors and outdoors by homes and businesses both large and small.

Rain barrels are one easy way to save water. “Water stored in rain barrels can gradually be released into landscapes between rains,” said Lopez. “With our region’s traditionally wet months just ahead, this is a great way to increase your outdoor water efficiency.”

Full Story