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A trio of storms now headed for Southern California will bring dangerous surf, strong winds and up to 6 inches of rain by early next week, according to the National Weather Service. The storms are similar to those that rocked Northern California recently by flooding rivers, blocking mountain passes and causing several deaths. This latest round, however, is expected to pack less of a wallop, forecasters say. The first storm should arrive Wednesday night and is expected to drop between 0.75 and 1.25 inches of rain in the foothills and valleys through Thursday, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

A series of Pacific storms will bring heavy rain, mountain snow and gusty wind to San Diego County starting later this week and extending through early next week. The first storm is expected to hit late Wednesday night, and gusty winds, rain and a slight chance of thunderstorms are expected. Predicted rainfall amounts range from less than two-tenths of an inch in the deserts to one- to two-thirds of an inch of rain west of the mountains to three-quarters of an inch to 1.5 inches in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

When Gov. Jerry Brown released his proposed 2017-2018 budget last week, it didn’t include additional funding for the restoration of the Salton Sea. Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia represents the 56th district, which includes eastern Riverside and Imperial Counties. “On my end, you know, certainly disappointed that right out the gate there wasn’t a funding identified and included in the initial budget demonstrating a commitment to this issue that isn’t just a Southern California issue, but certainly a statewide issue as it relates to water in California,” Garcia said.

Over the last few years, the state of California has suffered from a historic drought that has killed grass and plants and dried up many of our lakes and reservoirs. But there is some good news, with more heavy rain in the forecast; the drought emergency could soon be over. For the first time since 2011, the U.S. Drought Monitor has erased drought from all areas north of interstate 80 that means the drought is on its way out but we’re not in the clear just yet.

As the world gradually shifts its energy focus to renewable sources such as solar and wind, utilities are faced with a demand for secondary sources — those that are available when the sun isn’t shining or the wind doesn’t blow. One option is so-called “peaker plants,” traditional power plants fired by natural gas that operate only during periods of peak demand. Like other gas plants, efforts to install them have drawn heavy criticism from nearby residents and the environmentally minded in general.