California skiers and riders are facing the best conditions of the season after recent storms dumped snow from Lake Tahoe to Mammoth Lakes, frosting slopes ahead of the long Martin Luther King holiday weekend. It was a warm storm, particularly for L.A.’s local mountain resorts, and San Bernardino Mountain operations were hoping that Monday’s rain […]
Heavy rain triggered freeway closures throughout the region Tuesday and unleashed mud flows in areas ravaged by wildfires last month, leaving rescue personnel to scramble through clogged roadways and downed trees as they respond to emergency calls , officials said. As of 5 a.m., at least 5 inches of rainfall had been collected in a […]
The storm that swept through the Sacramento region Monday and Tuesday helped compensate for a dry December while causing its share of flooding and downed trees. The downpour began with 2.38 inches of rain in downtown Sacramento on Monday, the most on Jan. 8 since the National Weather Service began recording data in 1877, and […]
As crushing mudslides buried homes and left more than a dozen dead in fire-ravaged Southern California on Tuesday, state and local officials were closely watching burned swaths of Wine Country to make sure the state’s biggest storm of the season didn’t bring similar devastation. Authorities reported minor rock slides along the Sonoma County coast, but […]
California water officials have always insisted public safety was their only concern as they struggled with the crisis unfolding last February at Oroville Dam. The forensic team investigating what happened at Lake Oroville, however, has pinpointed another factor guiding the decisions made by the Department of Water Resources: the state’s desire to continue shipping water […]
“Long-term and systemic failures” by California dam managers and regulators to recognize inherent construction and design flaws at the tallest U.S. dam caused last year’s near-disaster there, an independent panel of dam safety experts said Friday, calling it a wake-up call for dam operators around the country. Members of the Association of State Dam Safety […]
Big Snows Come to California — Finally — Ahead of Long Holiday Weekend
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles TimesCalifornia skiers and riders are facing the best conditions of the season after recent storms dumped snow from Lake Tahoe to Mammoth Lakes, frosting slopes ahead of the long Martin Luther King holiday weekend. It was a warm storm, particularly for L.A.’s local mountain resorts, and San Bernardino Mountain operations were hoping that Monday’s rain […]
Storm Triggers Flooding, Mud Flows and Freeway Closures Throughout Thomas Fire Burn Area
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles TimesHeavy rain triggered freeway closures throughout the region Tuesday and unleashed mud flows in areas ravaged by wildfires last month, leaving rescue personnel to scramble through clogged roadways and downed trees as they respond to emergency calls , officials said. As of 5 a.m., at least 5 inches of rainfall had been collected in a […]
Two-Day Storm Boosted Sacramento Rainfall To 88 Percent Of Average
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Cathy Locke, Barbara Harvey and Benjy EgelThe storm that swept through the Sacramento region Monday and Tuesday helped compensate for a dry December while causing its share of flooding and downed trees. The downpour began with 2.38 inches of rain in downtown Sacramento on Monday, the most on Jan. 8 since the National Weather Service began recording data in 1877, and […]
Deadly Mudslides Plague Southern California, But Wine Country Stays Firm
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Francisco Chronicleby Sarah Ravani and Kurtis AlexanderAs crushing mudslides buried homes and left more than a dozen dead in fire-ravaged Southern California on Tuesday, state and local officials were closely watching burned swaths of Wine Country to make sure the state’s biggest storm of the season didn’t bring similar devastation. Authorities reported minor rock slides along the Sonoma County coast, but […]
Safety Wasn’t The Only Thing On Oroville Dam Operators’ Minds As They Responded To Crisis, Report Shows
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler and Ryan SabalowCalifornia water officials have always insisted public safety was their only concern as they struggled with the crisis unfolding last February at Oroville Dam. The forensic team investigating what happened at Lake Oroville, however, has pinpointed another factor guiding the decisions made by the Department of Water Resources: the state’s desire to continue shipping water […]
Safety Probe Warns California’s Dam Crisis A ‘Wake-Up Call’
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Associated Press (As published by Fox 25 Boston)by Ellen Knickmeyer“Long-term and systemic failures” by California dam managers and regulators to recognize inherent construction and design flaws at the tallest U.S. dam caused last year’s near-disaster there, an independent panel of dam safety experts said Friday, calling it a wake-up call for dam operators around the country. Members of the Association of State Dam Safety […]