The statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack — the source of nearly one-third of California’s water supply — is at its highest level since 1995, boosting hopes that an end to the drought is near, but also raising concerns that a few warm spring storms could melt it too early and trigger major flooding. Not since Toy […]
The heavy snow blanketing the Rocky Mountains this winter is a welcome respite for the shrinking Colorado River. Yes, but: Climate experts say it still falls short from saturating the state’s drought-ridden reservoirs.
The interior of the plane looked like a cross between a private luxury jet and a space mission control room. The Gulfstream IV cruised at 43,000 feet, high above a seemingly peaceful layer of thick clouds that stretched to the horizon. Crew members in blue jumpsuits stared at computer screens that revealed their hidden target […]
The seven states that depend on the Colorado River have missed a Jan. 31 federal deadline for reaching a regionwide consensus on how to sharply reduce water use, raising the likelihood of more friction as the West grapples with how to take less supplies from the shrinking river. In a bid to sway the process […]
With the federal government poised to force Western states to change how they manage the alarming shortfall in Colorado River water, there is one constituency with a growing interest in the river’s fate that’s little known to some: Wall Street investors. Private investment firms are showing a growing interest in an increasingly scarce natural resource […]
Higher-than-normal rainfall during the past month has dramatically changed Lake Shasta, with the water level of California’s largest reservoir rising 60 feet since the end of December. Gone are vast areas of shoreline that became parking lots and campgrounds as the lake dried up and the water level dropped during the past several years of […]
Sierra Nevada Snowpack Hits Biggest Level in Nearly 30 Years
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Mercury Newsby Paul RogersThe statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack — the source of nearly one-third of California’s water supply — is at its highest level since 1995, boosting hopes that an end to the drought is near, but also raising concerns that a few warm spring storms could melt it too early and trigger major flooding. Not since Toy […]
Colorado’s Wet Winter is a Drop in the Drought Bucket
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Axios Denverby Alayna AlvarezThe heavy snow blanketing the Rocky Mountains this winter is a welcome respite for the shrinking Colorado River. Yes, but: Climate experts say it still falls short from saturating the state’s drought-ridden reservoirs.
How Do You Track an Atmospheric River? Climb Aboard This Highflying Reconnaissance Jet
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Ian JamesThe interior of the plane looked like a cross between a private luxury jet and a space mission control room. The Gulfstream IV cruised at 43,000 feet, high above a seemingly peaceful layer of thick clouds that stretched to the horizon. Crew members in blue jumpsuits stared at computer screens that revealed their hidden target […]
States Miss Deadline to Address Colorado River Water Crisis, Pressure Builds on California
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Timesby Ian JamesThe seven states that depend on the Colorado River have missed a Jan. 31 federal deadline for reaching a regionwide consensus on how to sharply reduce water use, raising the likelihood of more friction as the West grapples with how to take less supplies from the shrinking river. In a bid to sway the process […]
New York Investors Snapping Up Colorado River Water Rights, Betting Big on an Increasingly Scarce Resource
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CBS Newsby Ben Tracy, Andy Bast, and Chris SpinderWith the federal government poised to force Western states to change how they manage the alarming shortfall in Colorado River water, there is one constituency with a growing interest in the river’s fate that’s little known to some: Wall Street investors. Private investment firms are showing a growing interest in an increasingly scarce natural resource […]
Drenched by Higher-Than-Normal Rain, Lake Shasta Water Level Rises 60 Feet During January
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Record Searchlightby Damon ArthurHigher-than-normal rainfall during the past month has dramatically changed Lake Shasta, with the water level of California’s largest reservoir rising 60 feet since the end of December. Gone are vast areas of shoreline that became parking lots and campgrounds as the lake dried up and the water level dropped during the past several years of […]