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California Storms Boosting OC’s Water Supply Past Capacity to Capture All That Rain

/in , , /by /ABC 7by Jessica De Nova

California’s recent storms have provided a big boost to Orange County’s water supply, with so much rain falling that it’s exceeding the county’s ability to capture all of it.

With a forecast of more rain coming this weekend, some of the captured water will actually have to be released briefly into the Pacific Ocean, county officials say.

The storms are keeping the Orange County Water District busy, as the agency collects rain water to help supply northern and central OC.

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Turn Off Irrigation During and After Rainstorms

/in , , /by /Times of San Diego by Debbie L. Sklar Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

A series of storms bringing much-needed rain to the San Diego region is also a reminder for residents and businesses to turn off irrigation systems when wet weather is predicted and for at least a week after significant rainfall.

While a series of atmospheric rivers is boosting the Sierra snowpack and easing dry conditions statewide, there is still a long way to go to overcome three arid years. Water-saving actions today can help conserve more of our most precious natural resources when needed.

“Outdoor watering accounts for at least half of a typical household’s water use, which means that cutting back on irrigation during damp and cool periods is one of the easiest ways to live WaterSmart,” said Efren Lopez, a water resources specialist for the San Diego County Water Authority. “With a half-inch of rain in many areas on Tuesday night and several more damp days in the forecast, this is the perfect time to turn off the sprinklers for an extended period.”

Despite the most severe drought conditions in more than 1,200 years, San Diego County continues to have enough water to meet demands due to significant investments in water conservation and supplies. The region’s long-term supply reliability depends on a continued commitment to water-use efficiency indoors and outdoors by homes and businesses both large and small.

Rain barrels are one easy way to save water. “Water stored in rain barrels can gradually be released into landscapes between rains,” said Lopez. “With our region’s traditionally wet months just ahead, this is a great way to increase your outdoor water efficiency.”

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Bay Area Rain, and the First Significant Sierra Nevada Snow is on the Way. Here’s When It Arrives.

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

Tire chains. Winter coats. Gloves. Remember them? Snow is expected to fall across the Sierra Nevada early next week as a storm from the Gulf of Alaska pushes into California and the rest of the West Coast, bringing a likelihood of light rain to the Bay Area. Although details will become clearer in the next few days, forecasters said Friday that at least a foot of snow is expected to fall at higher elevations on Tuesday in the Sierra, potentially causing visibility issues and the need for motorists to carry tire chains if they are heading over mountain passes Tuesday and Wednesday as temperatures fall.

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California Might Get Hit by a Rainstorm. It All Depends on These Two Weather Patterns

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Gerry Diaz

From record-breaking heat waves to historic rainstorms, September was nothing short of a meteorological roller-coaster ride and the Bay Area was given a front-row seat.

This roller coaster of temperatures and intense back-and-forth between extreme heat and strong rains has come to a halt, though. A quiet, mostly dry pattern looks to be taking center stage for October as California is set to enter its third consecutive year of La Niña. But another weather pattern could shake up our chances of seeing at least one more storm roll into California before the end of the month.

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La Niña: What it Means for California’s Drought and the Upcoming Winter Rainy Season

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

The day before the state’s “water year” ended, Silicon Valley leaders gathered on Google’s campus in Mountain View and urged residents to continue conserving water as California’s drought drags on.

“It’s the third straight year of a bad and worsening drought,” said Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, on Thursday. “Our scientists and climatologists predict that as we move into the winter, we can expect another, fourth dry year.”

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Rare September Rains Bring Respite to Drought-Stricken Inland California

/in , /by /Washington Postby Zach Rosenthal

Much-needed rainfall and thunderstorms are hitting central and northern parts of California, bringing relief to places that typically see little precipitation in September. An upper-level low-pressure system, an occurrence more likely in winter, is churning off the coast of Northern California. It follows unprecedented heat across much of California at the start of September, when a prolonged heat wave shattered thousands of records across the West.

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Tropical Storm Ended Saturday in San Diego With Light Showers

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Philip Molnar

San Diego County got minimal rain Saturday as the last of Tropical Storm Kay passed over the region.

The storm already brought record rainfall to the county on Friday, with around a half-inch near the coast and nearly 2 inches in some mountain areas. Rainfall totals were much lower as the storm dissipated over the Pacific Ocean on Saturday — around 0.01 to 0.03 inch on the coast and around 0.06 inch in the mountains as of 4:30 p.m., said the National Weather Service.

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Drought Expected to Continue Even With a Wet Winter

/in , , /by /NBC Bay Area by Damian Trujillo

Droughts are here to stay. That’s the warning from Santa Clara Valley Water as we continue to face a severe water shortage and uncertainty with regard to the upcoming winter months.

Rain or not, the message is to expect droughts to be a much more regular part of life, meaning conservation and preparation need to become lifelong habits as well.

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How Severe Is Sacramento’s Drought? This Interactive Map Shows the Outlook Is Bleak

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Noor Adatia

It is unlikely the Sacramento area will receive a substantial amount of rain anytime soon, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasts for this weekend show temperatures climbing above the average for this time of year which is around 94 degrees, weather service spokesman Craig Shoemaker said.

And it’s expected to remain dry in the area for awhile.

 

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Snow to Spread Across West as Temperatures Plunge

/in , /by /AccuWeatherby Alyssa Smithmyer

An active weather pattern is in place across the western United States, AccuWeather forecasters say, and the arrival of a storm in the Northwest will eventually result in widespread impacts from California to the central and southern Rockies.

An area of low pressure was diving southeastward over the interior West on Tuesday. As the storm strengthens will moving into the Southwest region, areas of snow will break out and become locally heavy from the Sierra Nevada to the Rockies in Colorado and the various ranges in northern Arizona and New Mexico.

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