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Southern California Is Dangerously Dry for This Time of Year

/in , , /by /New York Timesby Amy Graff

Southern California is extremely dry right now, with huge portions of the region having seen less than a quarter-inch of rain in the last eight months. The landscape is parched and vegetation is withered, making the area dangerously susceptible to burning, an unusual situation for January.

“The sort of dryness we’re seeing in a lot of the plant species right now mirrors what you would typically expect in October or early November, when the rainy season starts,” said Jonathan O’Brien, a meteorologist with the U.S. Forest Service.

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Red Flag Fire Weather Warning Issued for Critically Dry San Diego County

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

San Diego County — in the midst of one of the driest periods on record — will be lashed by unusually cold and expansive Santa Ana winds early Wednesday that could spark wildfires, snap trees and knock out power, the National Weather Service said.

The enormous wind storm will shoot into Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties on Tuesday morning, then expand into San Diego County, which hasn’t had significant rain since last spring.

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Fire Weather Prompts Red Flag Warning for San Diego, Possible Power Outages for 65,000

/in , , /by /NBC 7by Christina Bravo

Amid an already dry winter season, the first Santa Ana wind event of 2025 is elevating fire danger this week and threatening power shut-offs for thousands of San Diego Gas & Electric customers.

The electricity utility warned nearly 65,000 customers their power may be cut off anytime from 4 p.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Friday amid strong winds and low humidity that create the perfect weather conditions for wildfires to spark and spread rapidly, according to the National Weather Service.

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San Diego County Slips Back Into Drought: What to Expect This Winter

/in , , /by /ABC 10by Madison Weil

After a few wet winters, Southern California is officially back in drought conditions, with San Diego County among the regions affected.

The latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows much of Southern California slipping into moderate drought status. Julie Kalansky, Deputy Director at the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, says San Diegans should be prepared for increasingly extreme conditions.

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What a New Study Does — And Doesn’t — Say About Fluoride and Its Link to IQ

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Karen Kaplan

A new report linking fluoridated drinking water to lower IQ scores in children is sure to ratchet up the debate over a practice that’s considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.

The report published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics synthesizes the results of dozens of research studies that have been released since 1989. Its overall conclusion is that the more fluoride a child is exposed to, the lower he or she tends to score on intelligence tests.

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EPA Recognizes Water Affordability Challenges in Report to Congress

/in , , /by /WaterWorld

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report to Congress on December 17, 2024, detailing water affordability across the U.S. among households and utilities.

The report, “Water Affordability Needs Assessment,” summarizes decades of research by utilities, academics, and associations, and includes recommendations, such as potentially establishing a federal water assistance program; increasing education, outreach, and knowledge around solutions to address affordability; and increasing ways to reduce water infrastructure capital and operating costs.

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Nearly 60% of California Is ‘Abnormally Dry’ to Start 2025. Where Are Drought Impacts Worst?

/in , , /by /Sacramento Beeby Kendrick Marshall

More than half of California was “abnormally dry” just days into the new year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s latest update.

As of Friday, Jan. 3, areas of “moderate drought” were isolated to Southern California while a sliver of the state near the Oregon border was under “severe drought,” the Drought Monitor said.

 

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With Negligible Rain in 8 Months, Southern California Swings Toward Drought

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Grace Toohey

California is entering the fourth month of what is typically the rainy season, but in the Southland, the landscape is beginning to show signs of drought.

The last time Los Angeles recorded rainfall over a tenth of an inch — the threshold that officials typically consider helpful for thirsty plants and the reduction of wildfire risk — was May 5, when downtown received just 0.13 inches of rain.

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State Reduces Water Usage to ‘Lowest Levels Since the 1940s’ — Here’s How It Happened

/in , , /by /The Cool Downby Mike Taylor Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

After two years of conservation efforts, Lake Mead is on the come-up.

Voluntary measures by Californians to save water in the Colorado River system are on their way to keeping well over the promised 1.6 million acre-feet of water in the reservoir by 2026, SFGATE reported. In a news release, the Colorado River Board of California announced a coalition over the last 23 months had conserved 1.2 million acre-feet of water.

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California’s 1st Snowpack Survey of 2025 May Offer Promise, but Will It Last?

/in , , , /by /Fox 2 San Franciscoby Tom Vacar

California’s first monthly snowpack survey comes on Thursday. It’s likely to be reasonably good for this early part of the rain and snow season.

As the new year begins, it’s good to take a look back and see what’s happened with California’s fire and water; essential elements, but also something that can lead to real problems. The Golden State had some big fires last year, but not in swarms.

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