Over the past 40 years, California has not completed a major water storage project of statewide significance despite the state’s population nearly doubling. Without substantial new investments and commitments to capture, store and move water throughout the state, whole communities will be subject to water scarcity and farmers will be unable to produce adequate food […]
There’s the kind of Dry January that follows an overly indulgent holiday season, where you swear off alcohol for the first 31 days of the new year. Then there’s the kind we just had, where, except for a few errant spits of rain, the skies remained clear for an entire month with no significant rain […]
Rainfall totals were nearly double the average in Northern California in December 2021. That’s what made the following month such a stark contrast. January 2022 will go down as one of the region’s driest Januarys on record. Just a few weeks without rainfall was enough to dry out the ground, warm up the air and […]
Snow levels in California have fallen from their December glory after an extraordinarily dry January, stoking fears that the drought will not only continue but worsen in a third difficult year. State officials, who will conduct the second snow survey of the season Tuesday, will find snowpack in California’s mountains measuring just shy of average […]
The nice weather in January is setting the wrong record. From a wet December to a dry January, this month saw such little precipitation it marks the second driest January on record. “We need 20 to 21 inches more of precipitation over the Sierra to close the season out to finish at normal,” said Craig […]
The framework for how Upper Colorado River Basin states will respond to low water levels at Lake Powell is now out for public review. It’s called the Drought Response Operations Plan, which is part of the larger Drought Contingency Plan signed in 2019. These policies were put in place because of the troubling hydrology in the region.
Opinion: With Budget Surplus, Now is the Time to Fund Vital Water Projects
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Cal Mattersby Jim Nielsen and Andreas BorgeasOver the past 40 years, California has not completed a major water storage project of statewide significance despite the state’s population nearly doubling. Without substantial new investments and commitments to capture, store and move water throughout the state, whole communities will be subject to water scarcity and farmers will be unable to produce adequate food […]
Dry January and Rain-free Forecast Puts All Hope in a Miracle March
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Press Democratby Mary CallahanThere’s the kind of Dry January that follows an overly indulgent holiday season, where you swear off alcohol for the first 31 days of the new year. Then there’s the kind we just had, where, except for a few errant spits of rain, the skies remained clear for an entire month with no significant rain […]
Forecasting Our Future: Warmer, Drier Weather Driven by Climate Change Could Make Off-Season Wildfires More Frequent
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage, Uncategorized /by Mike Lee /KCRAby Heather WaldmanRainfall totals were nearly double the average in Northern California in December 2021. That’s what made the following month such a stark contrast. January 2022 will go down as one of the region’s driest Januarys on record. Just a few weeks without rainfall was enough to dry out the ground, warm up the air and […]
California’s Snowpack Slips Below Average After Dismally Dry January, Renewing Concerns About Drought
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis AlexanderSnow levels in California have fallen from their December glory after an extraordinarily dry January, stoking fears that the drought will not only continue but worsen in a third difficult year. State officials, who will conduct the second snow survey of the season Tuesday, will find snowpack in California’s mountains measuring just shy of average […]
Dry January Raises Drought Concerns, Precipitation Relief Not Immediate
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CBS Sacramentoby CBS13 StaffThe nice weather in January is setting the wrong record. From a wet December to a dry January, this month saw such little precipitation it marks the second driest January on record. “We need 20 to 21 inches more of precipitation over the Sierra to close the season out to finish at normal,” said Craig […]
New Plan Lays Out Ways to Protect Lake Powell From Drought
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /KUERby Lexi PeeryThe framework for how Upper Colorado River Basin states will respond to low water levels at Lake Powell is now out for public review. It’s called the Drought Response Operations Plan, which is part of the larger Drought Contingency Plan signed in 2019. These policies were put in place because of the troubling hydrology in the region.