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Atmospheric River Storms to Soak Bay Area, Northern California — Biggest in 9 Months

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

Three successive storms will surge in from the Pacific Ocean this week, forecasters said Tuesday, bringing what may be the most rain in nine months to drought-stricken Northern California and offering a promising start to winter after two years marked by record wildfires and dry conditions.

Two of those storms look like atmospheric rivers — narrow, moisture-rich storms that play a critical role in the state’s water supply. The first, which was set to arrive late Tuesday night and continue into Wednesday morning, is likely to be a moderate storm. But another big one shaping up for Sunday night was upgraded to a category 5 on Tuesday, the highest in a five-level scale.

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Opinion: ‘Forever Chemicals’ Are Everywhere. It’s Time to Rein Them in

/in , /by /Los Angeles Times

Polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a class of man-made chemicals that break down slowly in the environment, can accumulate in the human body and have been linked to all manner of negative health effects from cancer to high cholesterol.

But these “forever chemicals” are nearly impossible to avoid. They are, quite literally, all around us: in consumer products, from cosmetics and cookware to food packaging and firefighting foam; in our food supply; in the soil, air and water; and even running through our veins.

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Newsom Declares Drought Emergency Across California

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Rachel Becker

Gov. Gavin Newsom today declared a drought emergency for the entire state of California, as conservation efforts continue to fall far short of state targets.

Newsom also authorized California’s water regulators to ban wasteful water use, such as spraying down public sidewalks, and directed his Office of Emergency Services to fund drinking water as needed. But he stopped short of issuing any statewide conservation mandates.

“As the western U.S. faces a potential third year of drought, it’s critical that Californians across the state redouble our efforts to save water in every way possible,” Newsom said in a statement.

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Atmospheric Rivers Forecast for U.S. West Coast

/in , , /by /Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes

The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, or CW3E, issued this outlook for Atmospheric Rivers on October 18, 2021.

Active weather is forecast to continue, bringing multiple landfalling ARs to the U.S. West Coast

  • The first AR is forecast to make landfall over Northern California on Tuesday evening, bringing moderate to strong AR conditions to the region
  • The second AR is forecast to make landfall on Thursday and is forecast to be stronger and last longer than the first AR
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Why San Diego Has Plenty Of Water Despite California’s Devastating Drought

/in , , /by /600 KOGO News Radioby Rebekah Gonzalez Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

In many parts of the state, reservoirs are hitting some of their lowest recorded levels.

However, San Diego County’s water supply has stayed mostly the same.

According to a new report from the New York Times, the San Diego County Water Authority estimates that it would have sustainable water supplies through 2045 even if these dry conditions persist for years.

The county’s key water storage site San Vicente Reservoir is about as full as usual, which is in stark contrast to the rest of the state’s reservoirs.

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Opinion: the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Is No Longer a Contingency

/in , , /by /The Colorado Sunby Rebecca Mitchell

If you live in Colorado—you get it. We don’t quit when challenged. Whether you live in a city, on a farm or ranch, in a rural town, or somewhere in between—you are part of the dynamic group of people who call Colorado home; people who understand when it comes to protecting Colorado water, specifically the Colorado River’s water, we must rise together to meet the challenge.

 

From its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River flows broadly across 1,450 miles of the southwestern United States, changing elevation by a remarkable 10,000 feet. More than 40 million people rely on the Colorado, the nation’s fifth-longest river, for drinking water and energy through hydroelectric power. In addition, the river supports an estimated $25 billion recreational economy and an agricultural economy of about $1.4 trillion a year.

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Opinion: What You Can Do — and What You Can’t — to Deal With California’s Driest Year

/in , /by /Los Angeles Times

It can’t be because everything else was going so well. It can’t be because the rain gods thought we had it too good, or that there were too few flames burning too few trees and homes, or that the summer wasn’t hot enough or there was too little violent crime or not enough deadly disease. We’ve had more than our fill of all that.

In fact, we may never know the reason why last year was not only dry, but was California’s second-driest year on record, according to the state Department of Water Resources. And the prospects for the current water year, which began on Oct. 1, aren’t any better.

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Shifting Pattern to Dump Mountain Snow, Raise Flood Threat Across the West This Week

/in , , /by /AccuWeatherby Brandon Buckingham

Multiple storms are expected to march into the West Coast this week, bringing along a changeable mixture of rain, wind and snow for many places. While a dent in the ongoing drought is expected, it will come at a cost.

This week has already kicked off with a storm marching into the Pacific Northwest. The grey skies and spits of rain that are typical of autumn led to a dreary end to the weekend along the Interstate 5 corridor across western Washington, Oregon and even Northern California.

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Satellites Reveal the Secrets of Water-Guzzling Farms in California

/in , , /by /NPRby Dan Charles

In a new push to stop further depletion of California’s shrinking aquifers, state regulators are turning to technology once used to count Soviet missile silos during the Cold War: satellites.

Historically, California’s farmers could pump as much as they wanted from their wells. But as a consequence of that unrestricted use, the underground water table has sunk by hundreds of feet in some areas, and the state is now trying to stabilize those aquifers.

Regulators need to calculate just how much water each farmer is using across California’s vast agricultural lands, and scientists and private companies are now offering a technique that uses images from orbiting satellites.

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Kamala Harris Visits Lake Mead to Sell Biden’s Climate Agenda Amid Drought in West

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Melanie Mason

Amid worsening drought in the West that threatens the region’s water and food supplies, Vice President Kamala Harris went to Lake Mead on Monday to pitch the Biden administration’s infrastructure and climate change plans, saying they would create jobs and respond to climate change.

“It is critical that we as a nation understand that we have within our hands, within our possession, the ability to actually change the course of where we’re headed,” Harris said, standing in front of a lectern with Lake Mead — and its precipitously low water levels — as a backdrop. “Let’s get these bills passed.”

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