Tag Archive for: Atmospheric Rivers

Los Angeles County Collects 33 Billion Gallons of Rainwater in Recent Storms

/in , , /by /KTLA 5by Travis Schlepp

Good news has surfaced in Los Angeles County’s ongoing battle with water scarcity.

The Los Angeles County Public Works Department announced Monday that more than 33 billion gallons of stormwater have been captured in the early months of the California winter storm season.

It will be used as drinking water and is enough to supply 816,000 people with enough water for an entire year, according to Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella.

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More Rain, Snow in California From Ninth in Series of Storms

/in , /by /AP Newsby Christopher Weber

The ninth atmospheric river in a three-week series of major winter storms was churning through California on Monday, leaving mountain driving dangerous and the flooding risk high near swollen rivers even as the sun came out in some areas.

Heavy snow fell across the Sierra Nevada and the National Weather Service discouraged travel. Interstate 80, a key highway from the San Francisco Bay Area to Lake Tahoe ski resorts, reopened with chain requirements after periodic weekend closures because of whiteout conditions.

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California Death Toll Reaches 20 as Last of Atmospheric River Storms Finally Ends

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Reuters

The parade of atmospheric rivers that pounded California for three weeks finally faded on Monday, enabling the state to begin lengthy repairs to roads and levees as the White House announced President Biden planned to survey the damage.

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Why Amospheric Rivers Could Become More Frequent as World Transitions out of La Niña

/in , , /by /FOX Weather

As critical areas of the Pacific Ocean warm and the world marches out of a La Niña towards neutral status, North America might be in store for changes in weather patterns not seen in several years.

A rare triple-dip La Niña has been in place since 2020 and was one of the main driving forces behind megadroughts, severe weather outbreaks and hurricanes.

Opinion: The Healthy Snowpack is an Upside of Recent Storms. But the Drought is Far From Over

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board

The powerful storms that have pounded California for the past two weeks have disrupted life statewide, leaving at least 19 dead, causing widespread flooding and closing or destroying iconic piers from Ocean Beach to Capitola. The precipitation has also done some good. Wednesday, the Sierra Nevada snowpack — which provides about 30 percent of the state’s water supply — was 226 percent of normal, the highest in at least 20 years. With two more storms looming, the snowpack is expected to keep growing ahead of an important April 1 measurement date for forecasters when it tends to peak.

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California Suddenly Has So Much Snow. But Even This Extraordinary Bounty Isn’t Enough

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

At the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory in Donner Pass on Wednesday, snow was piled so high that lead scientist Andrew Schwartz no longer needed stairs to exit the second floor.

“We just walk directly out onto the snow!” Schwartz said. The nearly 11 feet of snow surrounding the lab was the deepest he’d seen so far this year.

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Another Onslaught of Atmospheric River Storms to Pummel California Through the Weekend

/in , , /by /FOX Weatherby Steven Yablonski and Brian Donegan

Another barrage of atmospheric rivers will slam into California starting Friday, with a series of storms continuing to hit the West Coast through the weekend and into early next week.

The Golden State caught a break Thursday from the onslaught of deadly atmospheric river storms that have greatly helped the ongoing drought situation but have battered California with heavy rain, high winds, flooding and mudslides.

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Heavy Rain is Still Hitting California. A Few Reservoirs Figured Out How to Capture More for Drought

/in , , /by /NPRby Lauren Sommer

Despite several weeks of torrential rain and flooding, California is still facing a severe multi-year drought. That has many people thinking about how to better capture winter floodwaters to last through the dry season.

An innovative approach at two California reservoirs could help boost the state’s water supply, potentially marking a larger shift from decades-old water management approaches to a system that can quickly adapt to precipitation in a changing climate.

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Is California’s Drought Over? Here’s What You Need to Know About Rain, Snow, Reservoirs and Drought

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Alastair Bland

The year 2023 began with a historic bang — record precipitation and disastrous flooding throughout much of California. Parched watersheds soaked up the first rains, but soon became waterlogged. Runoff accelerated. Sodden hillsides collapsed. Rural levees burst and rivers spilled their banks. Towns went underwater. People died.

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Suddenly, California Has Too Much Water

/in , , /by /The Atlanticby Jacob Stern

In the Talmudic parable of Honi the Circle Maker, the drought-stricken people of Jerusalem send up a prayer that God should deliver them rain. And sure enough, after a few false starts, he does. Except that once the rain starts, it won’t let up. It pours and pours until the people are forced to flee to higher ground, their homes flooded by the answer to their prayer.

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