Opinion: California Officials Plan for a Dry 2025 With Grim Water Supply Guesswork
Each December there’s a new version of an old guessing game about how much water will be provided to agricultural and municipal users in the year ahead.
Tag Archive for: La Niña
Will Lake Shasta Fill Up for 3rd Straight Year When La Niña Winter Weather Hits California?
A pair of storms moving through Redding this week could dump 1.5 to 2 inches of rain in the region, helping bring up water levels at Lakes Shasta and raising hope California’s largest reservoir will fill up for a third straight year if a robust La Niña arrives this winter.
The lake was at 56% total capacity as of Monday, which is 104% of its historical average, according to the state Department of Water Resources’ most recent data.
A Weak La Niña Could Bring Dry Conditions to Parts of Southwest this Winter, NOAA Says
A weak La Niña is forecast to appear this winter and affect weather patterns across the country, likely bringing drier-than-average conditions in much of the Southwest and wetter-than-average conditions in the Pacific Northwest, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The outlook is uncertain, however, for much of California, where NOAA experts predict there are equal chances of below-average, average or above-average winter precipitation.
Report: San Diego County has Enough Water for Next Year, Even with La Niña
San Diego County is well set to meet water demands through water year 2025, even with La Niña conditions likely to replace wet El Niño weather this winter, it was announced Tuesday.
Oct. 1 serves as the start of the 12-month water year cycle, counting winter snowfall and summer precipitation for the next year. For the San Diego County Water Authority, which brings in new leadership Tuesday, two consecutive wet winters have the area prepared for water needs regardless of weather.
San Diego County Set to Meet Water Demands Through Sept. 30, 2025
San Diego County is in a good place to meet water demands through the next water year, which began Tuesday, officials announced.
The 12-month water year cycle begins Oct. 1 for counts of snowfall and precipitation for the next year. The San Diego County Water Authority, which brings in new leadership Tuesday, said that two consecutive wet winters have the area prepared for water needs, even with La Niña conditions likely to replace wet El Niño weather this winter.
Report: SD County has Enough Water for Next Year, Even with La Niña
San Diego County is well set to meet water demands through the water year 2025, even with La Niña conditions likely to replace wet El Niño weather this winter, it was announced Tuesday.
Oct. 1 serves as the start of the 12-month water year cycle, counting winter snowfall and summer precipitation for the next year. For the San Diego County Water Authority, which brings in new leadership Tuesday, two consecutive wet winters have the area prepared for water needs regardless of weather.
As La Niña Strengthens, Forecasters Warn of a Potential Return to Drought
As La Niña gathers strength in the tropical Pacific, forecasters are warning that the climate pattern could plunge California back into drought conditions in the months ahead.
La Niña is the drier component of the El Niño Southern Oscillation system, or ENSO, which is a main driver of climate and weather patterns across the globe. Its warm, moist counterpart, El Niño, was last in place from July 2023 until this spring, and was linked to record-warm global temperatures and California’s extraordinarily wet winter.
Shift to La Niña for the Coming Winter Could Affect the Next Water Year in the West
While California and Nevada remain virtually drought-free, climate experts say extreme heat and wildfire risk may continue plaguing the West for months.
Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said during a webinar Monday that ongoing heat events across the West present a major risk to vulnerable communities, despite a good water supply outlook for the region.
El Niño Makes an Exit, but La Niña Could Bring Dry Conditions Back to California
After a year of dominance, El Niño’s wrath has come to end — but its climate-churning counterpart, La Niña, is hot on its heels and could signal a return to dryness for California.
El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, sometimes referred to as ENSO. The climate pattern in the tropical Pacific is the single largest driver of weather conditions worldwide, and has been actively disrupting global temperatures and precipitation patterns since its arrival last summer.
The U.S. Drought Monitor Is A Critical Tool For The Arid West. Can It Keep Up With Climate Change?
Known for its glowing swaths of yellow, orange and red, the U.S. Drought Monitor has warned farmers, residents and officials throughout the nation of impending water scarcity every week since 1999.
Backed by data on soil moisture, temperature, snow cover, meltwater runoff, reservoir levels and more, the map has become an essential instrument for determining the outlook of water supplies, declaring drought emergencies and deciding where and when government aid should be distributed, among other things.
