Early-season snow is prompting 18 of the 21 major ski areas around Tahoe and the high Sierra to open by this weekend. On Wednesday, snow was falling lightly on the ridges surrounding the Tahoe Basin, and a storm due to arrive this weekend will allow ski areas across the board to open more chairlifts, ski […]
The camera zooms in on the majestic sandy bluffs that make this stretch of the San Diego County coast so iconic: a close-up, everyone realizes, of that cliff crumbling in real time — ancient sand and soft, somewhat cemented rocks tumbling onto the beach below. Moments later, a popular commuter rail rumbles by. Some in […]
Some of the most alarming science surrounding climate change is the discovery that it may not happen incrementally — as a steadily rising line on a graph — but in a series of lurches as various “tipping points” are passed. And now comes a new concern: These tipping points can form a cascade, with each […]
Federal authorities are considering a plan to repair a California canal in the San Joaquin Valley that lost half its capacity to move water because of sinking ground. Use of groundwater has caused land subsidence, affecting a 33-mile section of the Friant-Kern Canal, which supplies water to 1 million acres of farmland and more than […]
A broken levee shut down U.S. Highway 101 in Northern California on Wednesday and forced about 30 students and teachers to spend the night in their school’s gym. Meanwhile, a nursing home in a neighboring county evacuated its residents because of flooding. The levee near the school in Chualar was partially breached about 2 p.m., […]
It rained in Southern California again on Wednesday. The storm, Marty Ralph told me, was caused by an atmospheric river, a meteorological phenomenon you have been hearing more about lately as climate change drives bigger swings between tinder dry conditions and pounding rain. And although the rain caused the usual traffic headaches and advisories against […]
Update: Tahoe Ski Resorts Open More Lifts, Terrain Before Next Snow Dump
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /San Francisco Chronicleby Tom StienstraEarly-season snow is prompting 18 of the 21 major ski areas around Tahoe and the high Sierra to open by this weekend. On Wednesday, snow was falling lightly on the ridges surrounding the Tahoe Basin, and a storm due to arrive this weekend will allow ski areas across the board to open more chairlifts, ski […]
California Must Act Now To Prepare For Sea Level Rise, State Lawmakers Say
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Times by Rosanna XiaThe camera zooms in on the majestic sandy bluffs that make this stretch of the San Diego County coast so iconic: a close-up, everyone realizes, of that cliff crumbling in real time — ancient sand and soft, somewhat cemented rocks tumbling onto the beach below. Moments later, a popular commuter rail rumbles by. Some in […]
As Climate Change Worsens, A Cascade Of Tipping Points Looms
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Yale Environment 360by Fred PearceSome of the most alarming science surrounding climate change is the discovery that it may not happen incrementally — as a steadily rising line on a graph — but in a series of lurches as various “tipping points” are passed. And now comes a new concern: These tipping points can form a cascade, with each […]
Reclamation Seeks to Restore Sinking California Canal
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Bloomberg Environmentby Emily C. DooleyFederal authorities are considering a plan to repair a California canal in the San Joaquin Valley that lost half its capacity to move water because of sinking ground. Use of groundwater has caused land subsidence, affecting a 33-mile section of the Friant-Kern Canal, which supplies water to 1 million acres of farmland and more than […]
Levee Break Shuts Down California Highway, Strands Students Overnight At School
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Weather Channel by Ron BrackettA broken levee shut down U.S. Highway 101 in Northern California on Wednesday and forced about 30 students and teachers to spend the night in their school’s gym. Meanwhile, a nursing home in a neighboring county evacuated its residents because of flooding. The levee near the school in Chualar was partially breached about 2 p.m., […]
How Much Damage Do Atmospheric Rivers Cause
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The New York Times by Jill CowanIt rained in Southern California again on Wednesday. The storm, Marty Ralph told me, was caused by an atmospheric river, a meteorological phenomenon you have been hearing more about lately as climate change drives bigger swings between tinder dry conditions and pounding rain. And although the rain caused the usual traffic headaches and advisories against […]