When it comes to rainfall, California has already had an active start to the year. Since the water year began on Oct. 1, San Diego International Airport has received 8.82 inches of rain. That’s compared to the annual average of 9.79 inches.
Two “Pineapple Express” atmospheric river storms hit California within a week, delivering significant precipitation across the West Coast. New satellite photos show the impact these storms had on California’s flagging snowpack.
Crisp morning temperatures will make way for sunny skies across Southern California this week, but don’t stash those umbrellas and rain boots away quite yet. More wet weather is on the horizon.
The historic and destructive storms that ravaged California this week have significantly boosted the state’s snowpack and water year outlook after a relatively dry start to the season, state water managers say.
Sunday’s powerful storm brought a big boost to the Sierra snowpack. Here’s a look at some weekend totals and an update to the snowpack water content. On Monday morning, ski resorts in the Tahoe Basin and along the Sierra Crest were reporting two to four feet of snow since Saturday morning.
Northern California water managers are preparing for a stretch of wet weather by releasing water from several major reservoirs this week. At 8 a.m. Wednesday, the California Department of Water Resources began releasing water down the main spillway at Oroville Dam. Initial releases were at 6,000 cubic feet per second.
Despite forecasts of heavy rain and possible flooding in the coming days, state water managers are warning that the “snow drought” in California’s Sierra Nevada could remain for the rest of the winter and into the spring.
The water content of California’s mountain snowpack was just over half of the normal average on Tuesday, a modest increase from Jan. 1 but still far below the usual, state officials said.
Officials say they expect to release some water from the Oroville Dam’s main spillway on Wednesday. The operation comes as a strong atmospheric river sets its sights on Northern California.
A California judge says a 60-year-old law does not give the state permission to borrow the billions of dollars it would need to build a large water project, a decision that could threaten a key source of funding for a controversial plan backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to build a massive underground tunnel that would reroute a big part of the state’s supply.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
