In May, the West saw the biggest decreases in drought areas, while the Southeast saw the biggest increases, according to National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) climatologist Deborah Bathke. A steady improvement in conditions in northern California and western Nevada led to a reduction of extreme (D3) and severe (D4) drought in these areas. “Extreme southeastern California […]
Ample rainfall helped put a dent in California’s drought, but it also created more fuel for wildfires, officials said. Fire departments are gearing up for a long summer with training exercises and are encouraging people to be fire safe. “With lots of rain this winter, the grass grew a lot, and we became a dry tinderbox,” […]
As temperatures race toward the triple digits, City Council members voted unanimously to reduce water conservation goals but maintain a twice-weekly watering restriction. The Department of Utilities presented a plan to drop conservation goals from 28 percent over 2013 levels down to 10 percent and increase watering to three days a week but found little […]
The winter of 2015 capped four years of drought that resulted in an unprecedented water deficit in Sierra Nevada snowpack. Much of California’s water comes from snowmelt. Researchers at UCLA say in a new study, that this winter’s strong El Niño didn’t make up for that deficit. They found that even if the state gets […]
When forecasters last year warned of a massive El Niño, some Californians held out hope that a single extremely wet year could bust the state’s severe drought. But a study published Tuesday in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, offered support for the argument that state hydrologists have been making for months: It […]
Drought Conditions Improve in West
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Feedstuffs (Bloomington, Minn.)by Krissa WelshansIn May, the West saw the biggest decreases in drought areas, while the Southeast saw the biggest increases, according to National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) climatologist Deborah Bathke. A steady improvement in conditions in northern California and western Nevada led to a reduction of extreme (D3) and severe (D4) drought in these areas. “Extreme southeastern California […]
It’s Going to be a Long, Fiery Summer
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Appeal-Democrat (Marysville)by Chris KaufmanAmple rainfall helped put a dent in California’s drought, but it also created more fuel for wildfires, officials said. Fire departments are gearing up for a long summer with training exercises and are encouraging people to be fire safe. “With lots of rain this winter, the grass grew a lot, and we became a dry tinderbox,” […]
Sacramento City Council Rejects Plan to Increase Watering Days
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Anita ChabriaAs temperatures race toward the triple digits, City Council members voted unanimously to reduce water conservation goals but maintain a twice-weekly watering restriction. The Department of Utilities presented a plan to drop conservation goals from 28 percent over 2013 levels down to 10 percent and increase watering to three days a week but found little […]
California Snowpack Won’t Recover From Drought For Years
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by Amy QuintonThe winter of 2015 capped four years of drought that resulted in an unprecedented water deficit in Sierra Nevada snowpack. Much of California’s water comes from snowmelt. Researchers at UCLA say in a new study, that this winter’s strong El Niño didn’t make up for that deficit. They found that even if the state gets […]
Water-Wasting Leaks Plague Many Cities
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Wall Street Journalby Cameron McWhirterCash-strapped cities are contending with aging, leak-prone water systems that waste trillions of gallons a year and result in damaging breaks.
It Will Take Years of Wet Weather Before California Recovers From Drought, Study Finds
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Matt StevensWhen forecasters last year warned of a massive El Niño, some Californians held out hope that a single extremely wet year could bust the state’s severe drought. But a study published Tuesday in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, offered support for the argument that state hydrologists have been making for months: It […]