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San Diego County’s reliance on imported water is among the highest in California. Despite previous and planned local investments in desalination and recycling, most of this region’s water will continue to come from distant watersheds for decades to come as far as any water planner today can see. In fact, by 2040 the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) estimates 80 percent of their supply will be imported even with water efficiency savings and increased local supplies. Nearly half of that water will come from Metropolitan Water District which gets its supply from the Colorado River and Sierra Nevada.

A storm system from the north is expected to make its way through Southern California Thursday night and into Friday morning, bringing with it rain and the potential for flash floods and mudslides.

A flash flood watch has been issued for most of Southern California until noon on Friday. Los Angeles and Orange counties will have mostly cloudy skies with the chance of late-night rain Thursday as highs reach 80 degrees. The bulk of the rain is expected to fall Friday morning.

As the state enters its sixth year of drought, Northern California is seeing some significant relief thanks to a series of powerful storms, while Southern California remains mired in record dry conditions.

Despite a rainstorm set to hit the Southland this week, the region continues to face an unprecedented lack of precipitation, recording only 60% of average rainfall this month. By contrast, communities from the Bay Area north to the Oregon border have recorded 200% to 300% of the average this month, according to the National Weather Service.

It’s not often that a local utilities board election sets off angry confrontations between neighbors, candidates’ faces plastered on Old West-style “wanted” posters and even a current board member hung in effigy.

But races for four seats on the Yorba Linda Water District’s board of directors have defied stereotypes of sleepy local elections, stirring up intense outrage and anger – and opening a broader debate about California’s water future. The air in Yorba Linda, the suburban Orange County city known mostly as the birthplace of Richard Nixon, has gotten tense.

Thunderstorms that raked a wide area of Southern California this week have raised the thought of an actual rainy season. And, officials are raising the chance of flash flooding this winter. Five years of drought conditions have exacerbated wildfires across the state. Rain is beginning to fall on fire burn scars, making these areas prone to sudden erosion along roads and through neighborhoods.
The State Department of Water Resources is urging awareness of weather conditions and forecasts, the risks and the possibility to evacuate quickly if ordered by local officials.