Tag Archive for: Northern California

California Increases Salmon Spawning to Make Up for Drought

/in , , /by /NBC Bay Areaby Joe Rosato Jr.

In an effort to blunt the devastating toll California’s extended drought has taken on the state’s chinook salmon population, state and federal fish hatcheries in Northern California are spawning millions of additional salmon smolts in order to increase their odds of survival.

The state’s prolonged drought has left many of its dams and rivers unable to supply the cold water currents wild salmon require for their eggs to survive. So, hatcheries are trying to make up for nature’s dry spell with human intervention.

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California Drought Persists, Even With Recent Rain. Conserve Water Now With These Tips

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Hanh Truong

Even with the recent storm drenching Northern California, it’s important that residents conserve water, experts said. The storm — which included a ‘bomb cyclone’ — dropped more than five inches of rain on the capital city in 24 hours. But it won’t end the state’s drought. And next year could be dry, too.

 

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Recent Northern California Storms Made a Dent in the Drought. But Will It Be Enough?

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

The parade of storms that blasted California over the past week marked a strong start to the rainy season. Some parts of the state, including Napa, Santa Rosa and Sacramento, received half the rain in 24 hours that they got in all of the past year.

But with California locked in one of its worst droughts in modern history, and some areas short two years’ worth of water, a lot more wet weather is needed to mend the state’s water woes.

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‘Atmospheric River’ to Bring Heavy Rain to Much of California Starting on Sunday

/in , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

An “atmospheric river” stretching across the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to central and northern California starting on Sunday, with San Diego experiencing lighter precipitation on Monday.

The National Weather Service expects between 2 and 5 inches of badly needed rain in the higher elevations of Northern California with flash flooding possible.

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Level 5 Atmospheric River to Unleash Flooding Across Drought-Stricken California

/in , , /by /CNN Weatherby Pedram Javaheri

After nearly a year without rain, a series of potent Pacific storms are directed at Northern California this week, potentially bringing as much as a foot of rainfall and up to three feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada.

Supercharged by a classic atmospheric river pattern, the storms could lead to flash floods and dangerous debris flows in a wide swath of the region already devastated by recent wildfires.
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Opinion: Socal’s Water Planning Offers Lesson for State

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Daily News

Another historic drought has gripped the West and California, with the entire state facing abnormally dry conditions and 87% of it facing an extreme drought, according to the latest federal data. Yet Southern Californians are in far better shape to handle the situation than Northern Californians thanks to policies that southern water agencies have adopted.

Two-thirds of the state’s rain falls in Northern California, which has one-third of the state’s population — and vice versa. Yet many northern cities are running out of water, with several San Francisco Bay Area communities already adopting water rationing and water-use restrictions. This isn’t happenstance, but the result of planning — or lack thereof.

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Atmospheric River Storms to Soak Bay Area, Northern California — Biggest in 9 Months

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

Three successive storms will surge in from the Pacific Ocean this week, forecasters said Tuesday, bringing what may be the most rain in nine months to drought-stricken Northern California and offering a promising start to winter after two years marked by record wildfires and dry conditions.

Two of those storms look like atmospheric rivers — narrow, moisture-rich storms that play a critical role in the state’s water supply. The first, which was set to arrive late Tuesday night and continue into Wednesday morning, is likely to be a moderate storm. But another big one shaping up for Sunday night was upgraded to a category 5 on Tuesday, the highest in a five-level scale.

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La Niña Brings More Worries Amid Drought

/in , , /by /The Daily Journalby Corey Browning

Though it’s unclear what the effects of the La Niña climate expected this winter will be for Northern California, drought-ending rain is likely not among them.

The climate pattern brought on by cooler-than-usual surface water in parts of the Pacific Ocean creates varying weather globally, but historically the phenomena has meant drier conditions in the southern part of the state and wetter conditions in the Pacific Northwest.

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California Drought: Which Cities in Santa Clara County are Saving the Most and the Least Water

/in , /by /The Mercury Newsby Paul Rogers

The Santa Clara Valley Water District, which is the main wholesale water provider in Santa Clara County, on June 9 declared a drought emergency and called on all residents to reduce water use 15% from 2019 levels to preserve supplies.

In August, the most recent month for which data is available, countywide water use dropped by 9%. That was an improvement from a 6% drop in July, but still is significantly under the goal.

Here is the percentage change in water use between August 2019 and August 2021 at the 13 cities and private water companies the Santa Clara Valley Water District serves.

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Who Is to Blame for California’s Drought?

/in , , /by /UC Davis Magazineby Cody Kitaura

Social media users are playing the blame game when it comes to California’s drought. Read enough comments online and you’ll see many similar responses blaming the state government for its management of water: California should have more water storage. California dumps water into the ocean. Northern California sends too much water to Southern California.

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