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More Rain to Hit the Bay Area While Fresh Powder Falls Over the Sierra Nevada

/in , /by /The Mercury Newsby Jakob Rodgers

A line of storms that ushered in a chilly, soggy start to December should continue to move across Northern California early this week, offering more chances for rain in the Bay Area and a fresh coat of powder over the Sierra Nevada. One-third to a half-inch of rain could still fall over lower-lying portions of the Bay Area from Sunday through Tuesday morning — further boosting already healthy rainfall totals over the past several days.

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Winter Storm Hit Tahoe With ‘Win-Win’ Scenario — Here’s How Much Snow Region Got

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Jack Lee

The winter storm that dropped rain across the Bay Area dumped snow on the Sierras and ski resorts across Tahoe. Heavy snow and slick roads also made for dangerous driving conditions but the precipitation is a boon for California’s water supply. Building on gains during a storm in early November, this latest storm brought statewide snowpack up to 106% of normal for December 1, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

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San Francisco Cuts Deal With California Water Regulators to Avoid Severe Restrictions

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

Three of California’s biggest water suppliers, including the city of San Francisco, have reached a deal with the state that calls for reducing their immense consumption of river water but not as much as the state had initially demanded. The compromise, announced Thursday, is the latest breakthrough in a years-long effort by state regulators to protect flows in California’s once-grand but increasingly overdrawn rivers.

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First Significant Snowstorm of the Season Hits Tahoe. Has Winter Come Early?

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Gerry Diaz

After a week of will-they-won’t-they, the global weather models finally locked in on the track of California’s first substantial storm of the wet season. The storm’s cold front will ride an atmospheric river of moisture as it sends round after round of heavy rain showers to Humboldt, Del Norte and Mendocino counties. These rains will then turn to snow as they climb the steps of the southern Cascades.

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Bay Area Rain, and the First Significant Sierra Nevada Snow is on the Way. Here’s When It Arrives.

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

Tire chains. Winter coats. Gloves. Remember them? Snow is expected to fall across the Sierra Nevada early next week as a storm from the Gulf of Alaska pushes into California and the rest of the West Coast, bringing a likelihood of light rain to the Bay Area. Although details will become clearer in the next few days, forecasters said Friday that at least a foot of snow is expected to fall at higher elevations on Tuesday in the Sierra, potentially causing visibility issues and the need for motorists to carry tire chains if they are heading over mountain passes Tuesday and Wednesday as temperatures fall.

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Experts Predict Bay Area Will See Extremely Rare La Niña Event This Winter

/in , , /by /SFGATEby Amy Graff

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its U.S. winter weather outlook that La Niña will make an appearance December through February for the third year in a row. It’s not unusual to see two consecutive winters marked by La Niña, but what U.S. forecasters are calling a “triple dip” is uncommon. Going back some 70 years, this has occurred only two other times.

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California Officials Warn of More Water Restrictions in 2023 as Fourth Year of Drought Looms

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

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 possibility of a fourth year of drought. Both are considering, at least initially, reduced allocations for the many water agencies that contract for reservoir supplies from California’s sprawling water projects.

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Am I a Water Hog? Here’s What Could Land You on California’s List of Homes Using Too Much Water

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Michael Cabanatuan

With California’s water supply shrinking and the drought dragging on, Bay Area water agencies are getting serious about persuading their customers to use water responsibly.

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‘Sometimes Shaming is Your Best and Only Option’: Should California Scorn People Over Water Use?

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

Amid a third painfully dry year, the Bay Area’s biggest water retailer began releasing the names of customers using “excessive” amounts of water this week, a practice that may soon tee up hundreds of households for humiliation and shame.

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Does the Bay Area Have Enough Water to Build Housing During the California Drought?

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Ethan Varian

When Contra Costa County supervisors last summer signed off on 125 new homes slated for 30 acres of grazing land in the oak-dotted Tassajara Valley, they were warned water was going to be an issue.

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