As 5-year-old Stella Penn and her sister, Maxine, 3, enthusiastically play hide-and-seek in the backyard of their Eagle Rock home, the girls are accompanied by a merry band of lizards, butterflies and birds drawn to the yard’s low-water California natives, abundant fruit trees and the fragrance of Cleveland sage and Champaca trees.
The National Weather Service office in San Diego is monitoring the potential development of another atmospheric river, which could bring rain to the region on Friday and Saturday.
“Southern California will be on the southern edge of the atmospheric river bringing periods of precipitation Friday and Saturday,” the weather service said.
The Santa Fe Irrigation District continues its outreach on its proposed water rate increases, making a stop at the March 2 Rancho Santa Fe Association board meeting.
“It’s a nice sales presentation but I don’t buy a bit of it,” commented Director Greg Gruzdowich.
The 2023 regional WaterSmart Landscape Makeover competition is open. The annual contest seeks the best in landscaping makeover projects from 12 participating San Diego County water agencies. Showcasing residential water-saving landscaping projects highlights water conservation efforts, as a hotter, drier climate is forecast for the region.
Just three months ago, almost all of California was in drought, including at extreme and exceptional levels — the highest levels possible. Warnings went out from state water officials to expect only a fraction of requested water allocations.
Then came the storms, one after the other. Nine atmospheric rivers pummeled California between late December and mid-January, and we’ve had plenty of precipitation since then.
The heavy winter rains have lowered San Diego County’s drought ranking to the lowest level in nearly two years, and more precipitation might be coming in mid-March.
The U.S. Drought Monitor now lists the region as being “abnormally dry.” The county had been in a “moderate drought” since May 2021. Prior to that, greater San Diego experienced about 18 months of no drought conditions.
Paloma Aguirre will represent San Diego County on the California Coastal Commission with a focus on equitable access to the coast.
The Imperial Beach mayor will serve the remainder of former Commissioner Steve Padilla’s term, which expires May 2025. Padilla, a former Chula Vista council member, is now serving in the Legislature.
About 250 Fallbrook fourth graders put their creative caps on for the Fallbrook Public Utility District’s annual water conservation poster contest. But only 14 made it into the final product: the 2023 “Be Water Smart” calendar.
Twelve of those winning images appear inside the calendar – one for each of the 12 months of the year; another image is printed on the cover, and another is for January 2024.
The cold, windy Pacific storm that drenched much of San Diego County late Tuesday night and Wednesday pushed seasonal rainfall at San Diego International Airport above average for the first time in three years, according to the National Weather Service.
Through 4 p.m. Wednesday, the airport has recorded 9.86 inches of precipitation since the rainy season began on Oct. 1. The airport averages 9.79 inches between Oct. 1 and Sept. 30.
Another barrage of rare storms has pummeled Southern California with rain, snow, and hail in the recent weeks, the National Weather Service said it isn’t likely California’s drought will be over soon.
