The past three years have been the driest on record in California and officials warn that streak could continue. Most of the state is under severe-to-exceptional drought conditions, fueling risks for wildfires and putting Central Valley farmers in an even bigger pinch, as they struggle to keep their crops alive. The weather, in next couple […]
From record-breaking heat waves to historic rainstorms, September was nothing short of a meteorological roller-coaster ride and the Bay Area was given a front-row seat. This roller coaster of temperatures and intense back-and-forth between extreme heat and strong rains has come to a halt, though. A quiet, mostly dry pattern looks to be taking center […]
A few hundred farms in the southern tip of California, along the Mexican border, may hold the key to saving the drought-plagued Colorado River from collapse. These farmers, in Imperial County, currently draw more water from the Colorado River than all of Arizona and Nevada combined. They inherited the legal right to use that water, […]
Researchers from Colorado State University focused on areas they call “late snow zones” – regions in the Western mountains where snow doesn’t typically melt until May or later. They found that between 1984 and 2020, wildfire activity increased in 70% of these zones throughout the West. The mountain ranges studied included the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, […]
California cities and farms should brace for little or no water from the state’s big reservoirs in the coming year, a prospect that signals more water restrictions for households and more fallowed fields in the farm belt. The warning was delivered Monday by state and federal water officials who said they are preparing for the […]
In the spring of 1905, the Colorado River, bursting with seasonal rain, topped an irrigation canal and flooded the site of a dried lake bed in Southern California. The flooding, which continued for two years before engineers sealed up the busted channel, created an unexpected gem in the middle of the arid California landscape: the […]
California Drought: 8-Year-Old ‘Lawnbuster’ is Changing the World One Yard at a Time
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Gayle Falkenthal /CBS Bay Areaby Kiet DoThe past three years have been the driest on record in California and officials warn that streak could continue. Most of the state is under severe-to-exceptional drought conditions, fueling risks for wildfires and putting Central Valley farmers in an even bigger pinch, as they struggle to keep their crops alive. The weather, in next couple […]
California Might Get Hit by a Rainstorm. It All Depends on These Two Weather Patterns
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Gayle Falkenthal /San Francisco Chronicleby Gerry DiazFrom record-breaking heat waves to historic rainstorms, September was nothing short of a meteorological roller-coaster ride and the Bay Area was given a front-row seat. This roller coaster of temperatures and intense back-and-forth between extreme heat and strong rains has come to a halt, though. A quiet, mostly dry pattern looks to be taking center […]
Meet the California Farmers Awash in Colorado River Water, Even in a Drought
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Gayle Falkenthal /NPRby Dan CharlesA few hundred farms in the southern tip of California, along the Mexican border, may hold the key to saving the drought-plagued Colorado River from collapse. These farmers, in Imperial County, currently draw more water from the Colorado River than all of Arizona and Nevada combined. They inherited the legal right to use that water, […]
More High-Elevation Wildfire is Sapping Western Snowpack, Study Finds
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Gayle Falkenthal /KUNCby Kaleb RoedelResearchers from Colorado State University focused on areas they call “late snow zones” – regions in the Western mountains where snow doesn’t typically melt until May or later. They found that between 1984 and 2020, wildfire activity increased in 70% of these zones throughout the West. The mountain ranges studied included the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, […]
California Officials Warn of More Water Restrictions in 2023 as Fourth Year of Drought Looms
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Gayle Falkenthal /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis AlexanderCalifornia cities and farms should brace for little or no water from the state’s big reservoirs in the coming year, a prospect that signals more water restrictions for households and more fallowed fields in the farm belt. The warning was delivered Monday by state and federal water officials who said they are preparing for the […]
How California’s Salton Sea Went From Vacation Destination to Toxic Nightmare
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Gayle Falkenthal /Gristby Zoya TeirsteinIn the spring of 1905, the Colorado River, bursting with seasonal rain, topped an irrigation canal and flooded the site of a dried lake bed in Southern California. The flooding, which continued for two years before engineers sealed up the busted channel, created an unexpected gem in the middle of the arid California landscape: the […]