Posts

High-Tech Forecasting Model Scores Scientific Win at Lake Mendocino, Showing Promise for Western Reservoirs

/in , , /by /The Press Democratby Guy Kovner

Sandbars are spreading across rain-starved Lake Mendocino, the reservoir near Ukiah that is 35 feet lower than it was a year ago, a grim wintertime sight for the second major source of water for more than 655,000 people in Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin counties. But the situation would be considerably worse without the payoff from a six-year, $50 million project applying high-tech weather forecasting to management of the reservoir behind Coyote Valley Dam built on the East Fork of the Russian River in 1958.

Full Story

California’s Rainy Season Starting Nearly a Month Later Than it Did 60 Years Ago

/in , /by /Phys.Orgby American Geophysical Union

The start of California’s annual rainy season has been pushed back from November to December, prolonging the state’s increasingly destructive wildfire season by nearly a month, according to new research. The study cannot confirm the shift is connected to climate change, but the results are consistent with climate models that predict drier autumns for California in a warming climate, according to the authors.

Full Story

California’s Sierra Snowpack Lags Despite Recent Big Storms

/in , , /by /AP Newsby John Antczak

Recent storms have boosted California’s vital Sierra Nevada snowpack but not enough to fully compensate for a dry start to winter and residents should use water wisely, a state official said Wednesday after the season’s latest measurements.

Full Story

What Are These Atmospheric Rivers that Bring Heavy Rain and Snow to California?

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

An atmospheric river — a plume of moisture that has been likened to a river in the sky — has brought heavy precipitation to the Central Coast. Now it will sag southward and bring rain and mountain snow to Southern California on Thursday night into Friday morning, the National Weather Service said.

Full Story

Scientists Use New Methods to Better Forecast Atmospheric Rivers

/in , /by /Sierra Nevada Allyby Scott King

Earlier this year, the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes launched a new sub-seasonal to seasonal forecast product to better predict the influence atmospheric rivers will have on the Western United States. Better and more accurate forecasting tools for atmospheric rivers are critical for a number of community uses, including water management, agriculture, insurance and commodities trading, to name a few.

The demand for better atmospheric forecasting tools has facilitated the development of the new S2S forecasting products launched by CW3E this year.

Full Story

From Droughts to Flooding, Here’s How California is Trying to Better Understand Atmospheric Rivers

/in , /by /ABC10 KXTV Sacramentoby Monica Woods

California weather is rarely average. Historically, the state has well above or well below average rain and snow. One of the keys to prepare for these wild swings is a better understanding of atmospheric rivers. The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes or CW3E is at the heart of this research.

Full Story

As Fires Rage, California Center Aims to Better Understand Their Remedy: Atmospheric Rivers

/in , /by /The Washington Postby Mike Branom

At the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, researchers feel the urgency as they examine connections between West Coast precipitation and a devastating wildfire season, which has yet to conclude.

The center, part of Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., has unlocked many secrets of atmospheric rivers — airborne jets of tropical moisture that can break droughts and quell fires but also unleash raging floodwaters.
Full Story

San Diego Water Managers Seek Better Rain Forecast Information

/in , , /by /KPBS-FM/TVby Erik Anderson Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

San Diego water managers are working with local researchers to understand how atmospheric rivers bring water to the region.

The moisture-laden storm systems bring rain to Southern California, but too much rain can be damaging.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers are working to better understand atmospheric rivers, or ARs, so they can predict when and where the weather systems will hit.

Full Story

San Diego County Water Authority Partners with Scripps Institution of Oceanography

/in , , /by /The Coast News Group Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The San Diego County Water Authority announced today it is partnering with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego to better predict atmospheric rivers and improve water management before, during and after those seasonal storms.

Full Story

San Diego County Water Authority Partners with Scripps Institution of Oceanography

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Christine Huard

The San Diego County Water Authority announced Monday it is partnering with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego to better predict atmospheric rivers and improve water management before, during and after those seasonal storms. This month, Scripps’ Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes launched the Water Affiliates Group, which brings together science and hands-on water industry experience to enhance reservoir operations in light of the changing climate. The water authority has a long-running alliance with Scripps.

Full Story