The rain brought into Santa Barbara County by an atmospheric river Tuesday turned out to be less that forecast, but it still totaled between about 1.4 and 2 inches in most areas, although there were some notable exceptions.
Damage was also less as a result, with only minor localized mud flows, flooded streets and a couple of downed trees reported as of Wednesday morning.
Glacial temperatures, battering rainfall and historic levels of snow are complicating conditions at ski resorts around Lake Tahoe, leaving crews to work around the clock to dig out chairlifts — usually suspended high above the slopes — that are now buried in snow.
A powerful storm is expected to sweep across California this week, bringing cold temperatures, cutting winds and snowfall at remarkably low elevations nearly statewide.
“This is shaping up to be a very unusual event,” UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said in a virtual briefing Tuesday morning. “We are going to see low [elevation] snow all the way from the Oregon border to the Mexican border — it’s just a question of how low.”
When Bay Area residents wake up later this week and get a look outside, they might wonder if they’ve been transported many degrees north, with snow from an unusually cold and windy winter storm possibly carpeting the region’s major peaks and even reaching hills as low as 1,000 feet.
Their timing wasn’t great.
After moving to Sonoma County from Santa Monica in 2020, Kim and David Lockhart purchased River’s Edge Kayak & Canoe in Healdsburg. Heavy rains across the region the year before had caused widespread flooding, especially along the lower Russian River.
The latest rain storms have made a dent in filling reservoirs prompting the State Water Project to allocate more water to local agencies. Deliveries from northern California could increase to 30-percent, up from just 5-percent in recent months when reservoirs were near deadpool conditions. Officials emphasize the drought though is not over.
The odds that the drought-enhancing La Niña will fade by the end of California’s rainy season are rising, offering some hope of an easing of parched conditions across the US West. The Pacific Ocean has a 71% chance of returning to normal temperatures between February and April, bringing an end the La Niña weather pattern that has persisted for three years, the Climate Prediction Center said in a Thursday forecast.
December kicked off with a parade of storms across California, and while the plentiful precipitation is likely good news for California, data shows storage levels at the state’s major water supply reservoirs have not budged much. “We are just now moving into the rainy season,” said Jeanine Jones, interstate resources manager for California’s Department of Water Resources, referring to the months between November and March when much of California’s precipitation is recorded.
Cold, windy and occasionally wet conditions will continue across San Diego County through Wednesday, with widespread rain and mountain snow possible before things warm up later in the week.
“Hazardous travel is expected, especially through the mountains,” according to the National Weather Service.
A winter storm warning will be in effect through 6 p.m. Wednesday in the San Diego County mountains, with snow accumulating up to a foot in some areas, with as much as 18 inches on higher peaks.
Despite San Diego County currently sitting at ‘moderate drought’ status and February bringing no rain so far, the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) says the local water supply is safe.
According to SDCWA Water Resources Manager Jeff Stephenson, they have analyzed the current supply and feel confident that there will not be any water shortages for at least a five-year period because of their preparedness, even if drought status remains.
“We’ve spent 30 years diversifying those supplies so that we have seven, eight different sources of water in the region, so there’s no danger of running out,” said Stephenson.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
