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Study Suggests Flooding Could Reach Never-Before-Seen Levels in Sacramento, Central Valleys

/in , /by /Fox40by Melanie Townsend and Jordan Radach

While wildfires and droughts dominate California weather, residents have to prepare for another kind of disaster — flooding.

Sacramento is no stranger to seeing flooding of epic proportions. It happened during the Great Flood of 1862 that completely submerged Old Town, and the evidence is still right below our feet.

Floodwaters have plagued the Central Valley several more times before, happening again in 1986, 1995, 1997, 2006 and 2017, but new research by the organization Climate Central suggests that in 100 years, flooding in the Sacramento and Central valleys could reach levels never seen before.

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Late October Rains Could Dampen Wildfires and Help With Drought, Forecasters Say

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

A wetter than average forecast for late October could dampen wildfires burning in Northern California and help ease drought conditions, according to the National Weather Service.

The latest weather outlook for the latter part of this month calls for above-normal precipitation in California, with possible high-elevation heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. There is also potential for an atmospheric river between Oct. 21 to Oct. 27, forecasters said.

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Massive Dixie Fire burn Scar Could Cause Unprecedented Runoff Into Waterways This Winter

/in , , /by /ABC 7by Kelli Saam

State water officials are facing unprecedented challenges preventing erosion and runoff this winter after the Dixie Fire burned more acreage than any other single wildfire in California history. Crews have begun erosion control projects and are planning for the run-off of sediment into the Sierra watershed throughout the wet season. Crews with the California Conservation Corps are out doing erosion control in the burn scar areas in Greenville, in Plumas County. Most of the town was destroyed in the Dixie Fire.

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California Moves on Climate Change, but Rejects Aggressive Cuts to Greenhouse Emissions

/in , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Samantha Young

As California trudges into another autumn marred by toxic wildfire smoke and drought-parched reservoirs, state lawmakers have cast climate change as a growing public health threat for the state’s 40 million residents. But they were willing to push the argument only so far.

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Caldor Fire Evacuees Getting Highway 50 Access as Crews Work Toward Full Reopening

/in , /by /KCRA3

Some Caldor Fire evacuees will be able to access their properties using Highway 50 as crews work toward reopening the closed stretch of the road to the public.

The highway is closed between Kyburz and Meyers because of the fire, but starting Monday, property owners who live in that region will be able to receive a pass to enter the area and survey their properties.

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California Fires Are Burning at Higher Elevations Than Ever, Creating New Dangers

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Just hours before the Caldor fire threatened to level the resort town of South Lake Tahoe, the massive blaze performed a staggering feat: burning from one side of the Sierra to the other.

It seared through crests and valleys, over foothills and ridges — and also at elevations of 8,000 feet or higher.

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Rain Helps in California Fire Fight, Lightning Sparks Others

/in , /by /AP News

Thunderstorms that dropped light rain gave some breathing room to crews struggling to quench California’s massive wildfires but lightning sparked several new blazes in the drought-stricken north, fire officials said.

The storms that rolled through Thursday night into Friday were followed by weekend forecasts of clear weather and a warming trend in fire areas into next week.

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Wildfires are Putting Water Supplies at Risk, and Corporate America is Scared

/in , , /by /CNBCby Diana Olick

As wildfires tear across America’s West, the immediate risk is to life and property, but they will eventually affect water supplies.

That’s one reason large corporations are beginning to help fund forest restoration in order to mitigate their water risk.

The water supply for many communities, including large cities, starts in mountains and national forests. In California, about 70% of the water either starts or flows through national forests, according to Forest Service estimates.

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“This is a Lose-Lose”: Drought, Wildfires Complicate Biden’s California Water Plans

/in , , /by /Politicoby Debra Kahn and Annie Snider

As climate-driven drought and wildfires rage in California, the Biden administration is struggling to navigate the hard politics that come with deciding who gets access to the state’s precious — and dwindling — water supplies.

Responding to the hot and parched conditions that have contributed to the wildfires and worsened the water shortages this summer has strained both federal and state capacity. Now the Biden administration is delaying action on the fundamental question at the heart of California’s long-running water wars: How much water should be reserved for species protections, at the expense of the state’s powerful agricultural industry?

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Wildfires, Drought and Blackouts: California’s Climate Change Nightmare Is Already Here

/in , , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler and Margo Rosenbaum

After last year’s historic wildfire season, two nights of blackouts and a dry winter that raised alarm bells about another drought, California knew a difficult summer lay head.

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