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La Niña and California’s New Water Year

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby Ed Joyce Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

It’s that time of the year in California, when water managers, climatologists and meteorologists look at the factors that determine what the winter will bring during Water Year 2020-21 (October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021).

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said that La Niña conditions are present in the tropical Pacific, “with an approximately 85% chance of La Niña lasting through the winter.” Forecasters currently think this La Niña will be on the stronger side. For California, those conditions typically mean a drier winter, with increasingly dry conditions heading into 2021.

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UN: Climate Change Means More Weather Disasters Every Year

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Jamey Keaten

In the wake of heat waves, global warming, forest fires, storms, droughts and a rising number of hurricanes, the U.N. weather agency warned Tuesday that the number of people who need international humanitarian help could rise 50% by 2030 compared to the 108 million who needed it worldwide in 2018.

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Key Indicators Discovered of Climate Change Impact on California Water Supply

/in , , /by /PHYS.ORGby Anton Caputo, University of Texas at Austin

Determining how climate change is affecting water supplies is difficult in a state like California that swings between floods and droughts, but a new study has found that climate models agree on key metrics that could help water managers in the Golden State.

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Much of U.S. Southwest Left Parched After Monsoon Season

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Felicia Fonseca

Cities across the U.S. Southwest recorded their driest monsoon season on record this year, some with only a trace or no rain.

The seasonal weather pattern that runs from mid-June and ended Wednesday brings high hopes for rain and cloud coverage to cool down places like Las Vegas and Phoenix. But like last year, it largely was a dud, leaving the region parched.

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How will Climate Change Affect the Economic Value of Water in California?

/in , , /by /California WaterBlog (UC Davis Water Sciences)by Lorie Srivastava

Climate change is affecting natural resources in California, with water being one of the most important in the state. Water source is critical for municipalities, agriculture, industry, and habitat/environmental purposes. Will future supply meet future demand? How will the economic value of water change over this century?

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In-Depth: Why La Niña Could Make Wildfire Season Worse

/in , , /by /ABC 10 News San Diegoby Jared Aarons

The National Weather Service says that conditions are in place for a La Niña weather pattern in the fall and winter of 2020-21. That could bring warmer, drier than usual weather to San Diego over the next few months.

By definition, La Niña happens when the water along the equator is colder than usual. That pushes the jet stream farther north and directs storms away from the Pacific Southwest region of the United States.

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Fall in Southern California Begins the Race Between Rains and Santa Ana Winds

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Paul Duginski

The autumn equinox was at 6:30 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, meaning there are nearly equal periods of daylight and darkness. From now until the winter solstice in December, days will gradually get shorter and nights will get longer in the Northern Hemisphere.

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OpenET: Transforming Water Management in the U.S. West With NASA Data

/in , , /by /SciTechDailyby Maddie Ecker

Building upon more than two decades of research, a new web-based platform called OpenET will soon be putting NASA data in the hands of farmers, water managers and conservation groups to accelerate improvements and innovations in water management. OpenET uses publicly available data and open source models to provide satellite-based information on evapotranspiration (the “ET” in OpenET) in areas as small as a quarter of an acre and at daily, monthly and yearly intervals.

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County to Open Erosion Control Center in Alpine for Valley Fire Victims

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby City News Service

San Diego County will open an erosion control center in Alpine Thursday to help businesses and homeowners prevent debris flows in the areas burned by the Valley Fire.

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Opinion: Climate Change is Affecting Wildfires. But Newsom and Legislators Still Need to do More

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby George Skelton

Message to Democrats: Just because President Trump says it, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong.

Yes, our president habitually fantasizes, distorts and lies. But to borrow an old cliché, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

One important example: Trump’s widely ridiculed comment that California needs to “rake the floor” of its forests better.

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