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☆ California's reappearing phantom lake could remain for two years in the Central Valley
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

An aerial view of a home (C) surrounded by floodwaters in the reemerging Tulare Lake, in California’s Central Valley, on April 14, 2023 in Corcoran, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesSatellite images taken over the past several weeks show a dramatic resurrection of Tulare Lake in California's Central Valley and the flooding that could remain for as long as two years across previously arid farmland. This week, a heat wave could prompt widespread snow melt in the mountains and threaten the small farming communities already dealing with the resurrected Tulare Lake. Satellite imagery shows a large swath of farmland before water filled the Tulare Basin. Planet LabsSatellite images show miles of flooding after California's Tulare Lake returns.

☆ Parts of Yosemite National Park Closing as Flooding Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( April Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Parts of Yosemite National Park will close on Friday ahead of flooding threatened by the melting of huge amounts of snowpack, a delayed blow from record-breaking severe weather this winter. The closure will last until at least May 3, the national park said on Twitter. The snowpack, which forced the park to close earlier this year, is forecast to melt and increase river flows, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford, Calif. In Yosemite Valley, El Capitan crossover, a road that crosses the Merced River and sits east of the El Capitan rock formation, will close. “Parking in western Yosemite Valley and throughout the park will be extremely limited.

☆ Europe’s Glaciers Melted at Record Rate After Double Whammy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Eric Niiler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Scientists at the Gries glacier last fall in Switzerland, where glaciers have shrunk by a third since 2001. Photo: fabrice coffrini/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesEuropean glaciers lost a record amount of mass over the past two years from a one-two punch of below-normal snowfall and warmer temperatures, international climate scientists said. The retreating snowpack threatens supplies of freshwater to cities and farms throughout the Alps watershed, but it is also lengthening the region’s summer tourism season.

☆ NOAA Forecasters See a Respite for California
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The NewsWeather forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday issued their latest outlook for the United States, and there’s at least one piece of hopeful news for a state that has already had a wild year, weather-wise: California. But according to NOAA’s latest forecasts, temperatures for May through July are highly likely to be in line with historical averages across California and Nevada. For May, much of California could even see cooler-than-normal conditions, the agency said. This could mean the snow’s melting would be more gradual than abrupt, more beneficial to water supplies than destructive to homes and farms. “The picture is relatively optimistic compared to what it could be,” said Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist at the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, part of the University of California, Berkeley.

☆ California Braces for More Flooding When Record Snowpack Melts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Jim Carlton | Photographs Jennifer Emerling For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ALLENSWORTH, Calif.—Ray Strong looked up at the Sierra Nevada range in its magnificent mantle of snow—and frowned. “Once that water starts flowing, you can’t stop it,” said Mr. Strong, 66 years, as he mowed his lawn in early April in the flatlands of California’s Central Valley.

☆ How Unusual Was This Winter’s Snowfall Across the U.S.?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Zach Levitt | Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Boston New York City 120 inches 120 80 80 Previous years since 2003 40 40 This year Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr. Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr. Philadelphia Washington, D.C. 120 120 80 80 40 40 Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr. Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr. Boston 100 inches Previous years since 2003 80 60 40 20 This year Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr.

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☆ Feds propose options for managing Colorado River water shortage: 'Failure is not an option'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Photo taken on March 13, 2023 shows the Colorado River near Hoover Dam on the Arizona-Nevada border, the United States. The Biden administration on Tuesday released a document exploring potential solutions for managing the ongoing drought in the Colorado River Basin, which could be a step forward to imposing water delivery cuts from the Colorado River. "The Colorado River Basin provides water for more than 40 million Americans. The Colorado River has long been over-allocated, but climate change has worsened drought conditions in the region and reservoir levels have plummeted over the past couple decades. Responding to the drought will require compromise from all of the states that depend on the 1,450-mile-long Colorado River for water.

It is still early to get a clear picture on spring planting weather, though May is the most active month for field work, emphasizing favorable weather starting in late April. U.S. corn planting progressSoybean planting in North Dakota was also the slowest ever last year, but the national pace was only a bit behind average. The five-year April 30 average for soybean planting is 11%, close to the 10-year average of 9%. That could become important later if planting issues arise for North Dakota, which accounts for half of the spring wheat crop. Nationally, farmers plan to sow the smallest spring wheat area in 51 years, down 2% from last year.

☆ California Snowpack Is Among the Highest Ever Recorded
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Surveyors from the California Department of Water Resources measured a snow field in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Monday. California’s snowpack ranks as the biggest in at least 40 years, giving much needed relief to crippling drought but leaving many rural communities under threat of major flooding when the frozen bounty melts. Surveyors from the California Department of Water Resources on Monday conducted manual measurements of a snow field near Lake Tahoe, where they said the 126.5 inches was among the deepest since the hand tallies were first carried out more than a century ago. The water equivalent was 54 inches.

☆ Record California snowpack bounty poses renewed flood risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But this year's abundant Sierra snowpack also poses a severe risk of renewed flooding to parts of California, especially the lower San Joaquin Valley, during the spring thaw, according to state Department of Water Resources (DWR) officials. More widely, however, electronic readings from 130 snow sensors throughout California showed the statewide snowpack's water equivalent at 61.1 inches, or 237% of average, tying the record statewide average level set in April of 1952. "This year's result will go down as one of the largest snowpack years on record in California," said Sean de Guzman, manager of the DWR snow survey8 and water supply forecasting unit. Guzman said California's reservoirs, severely drained just months ago, have all been replenished to more than 100% of average statewide. Long-term drought conditions in the Colorado River watershed will continue to impact millions of residents of Southern California residents, the DWR said.

☆ A long-dormant lake has reappeared in California, bringing havoc along with it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Evan Bush | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

David Swanson | ReutersPeople have worked for a century to make California's Tulare Basin into a food grower's paradise. The Tulare Basin is at the southern end of California's San Joaquin Valley — and in essence, it's a massive bowl. Before irrigators dug canals and rerouted water for farming in the late 1800s, Tulare Lake filled the bowl's lower reaches. Today, the irrigation system is designed to "use every single drop of water" that flows into the basin, Mount said. Tulare Lake refilled in 1997 and 1983 during very wet seasons.

☆ Record snowpack in California poses severe flood risk, officials warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

California's statewide snowpack could top records after a recent series of powerful storms, state water officials said Monday, and melting snow from the Sierra Nevada range poses a severe flood risk to some areas. This year's major snowfall provides some relief to California, which was three years into a prolonged drought and grappling with plummeting reservoir levels. "This year's result will go down as one of the largest snowpack years on record in California," said Sean de Guzman, manager of DWR's Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. California's snowpack levels varied by region, with the Southern Sierra snowpack reaching 300% of its April 1 average and the Central Sierra reaching 237% of its April 1 average, officials said. And the critical Northern Sierra, home to the state's largest surface water reservoirs, is at 192% of its April 1 average.

☆ California Governor Lifts Most Drought Restrictions on Water Use
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A flooded road in California’s Central Valley this week following winter storms. California Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted many of the state’s remaining drought restrictions, citing an unusually wet winter which has refilled most reservoirs, left the mountain snowpack at near record levels and eased, for now, fears of worsening economic malaise from the worst dry spell on record. The Democratic governor made the announcement Friday while touring flooded farm fields in the Central Valley north of Sacramento following a parade of storms which have pounded the Golden State for months. The state’s Department of Water Resources also said it would increase the amount of water it sends to cities to 75% of their allotments, up from a previous projection of 35%, this year.

[1/3] Don Cameron stands next to one of his flood capture projects on his Terranova Ranch in Helm, California, U.S., January 25, 2023. Today, California water experts see Cameron as a pioneer. Terra Nova's basins are filled with 1.5 to 3.5 feet of water, Cameron said Wednesday. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on March 10 making it easier for farmers to divert floodwaters onto their lands until June. "We're at the beginning of a lot of momentum for groundwater recharge programs," said Gosselin, of the state groundwater office.

LOS ANGELES, March 22 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of storm-weary Californians were without power and under evacuation warnings on Wednesday as the latest storm packing wind-blown rain and snow threatened to bring more flooding to the rain-soaked state. Any more rain that we get today is only going to cause more flooding or worsen the flooding that is ongoing," said Bill South, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Hanford, California. [1/3] Floodwaters from the Tule River inundate the area after days of heavy rain in Corcoran, California, U.S., March 21, 2023. Total snow accumulations of up to 4 feet (1.22 m) and locally up to 5 feet, were in the forecast, the weather service said. California's harsh winter has caused widespread property damage and upheaval for thousands of residents, with more than 20 deaths attributed to the storms.

☆ California braces for next bout of heavy rain, snow and high winds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

High-wind warnings and advisories were posted for a vast region stretching from the Mexico border through Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay area. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued an excessive- rainfall notice for much of the Southern California coast, warning of an at least a 40% chance of showers exceeding flash-flood conditions. Heavy showers began drenching the Los Angeles region before dawn and triggered some street flooding but tapered off by early afternoon. Up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain was expected in coastal regions and valleys of Southern California, and as much as 6 inches in lower mountains and foothills, the NWS said. Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles.

Another atmospheric river storm brought strong winds, rainfall and flooding to California this week, prompting levee breaches and mudslides and breaking decades-old rainfall records across the state. Only about 36% of California now remains in drought, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor released on Thursday. Since the storms have eased some water supply shortages, the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California recently lifted water restrictions for nearly 7 million people. The governor noted that widespread damage across the state from the winter storms was an indication of how climate change is triggering worsening weather extremes. The state's emergency agency and private weather forecasters in January estimated that damage from California's winter storms could surpass $1 billion.

☆ Wet winter eases California drought, giving way to spring flood risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Climate change is driving both wet and dry extremes," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. "We're not calling for catastrophic and major widespread flooding," said Ed Clark, director of NOAA's National Water Center. California's winter was marked by a punishing succession of so-called atmospheric river storms, the product of vast, dense airborne currents of water vapor funneled in from the tropical Pacific. The storms have unleashed widespread flooding, mudslides, power outages, fallen trees, surf damage, road wash-outs and evacuations since late December. "Winter precipitation, combined with recent storms, wiped out exceptional and extreme drought in California for the first time since 2020, and is expected to further improve drought conditions this spring," NOAA said.

☆ California flood watch issued as next atmospheric river looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LOS ANGELES, March 9 (Reuters) - Flood watch notices were posted across northern and central California for Thursday ahead of an atmospheric river storm expected to douse much of the state with heavy rain, including mountain areas still buried from a near-record snowfall. But smaller, waterfront communities along several major rivers and their tributaries also braced for the possibility of overflowing streams swollen by heavy showers and runoff of melting snow. Elsewhere, the NWS issued "prepare now" alerts for residents along the Big Sur, Carmel, Salinas and Pajaro rivers. "It's really a combination of all this heavy rainfall coming and also rapidly melting snow." The looming deluge follows a three-week barrage of nine atmospheric river storms that struck California in late December through mid-January, triggering widespread flooding as well as hundreds of mudslides, rockfalls and sinkholes across the state.

☆ Storms bolster California snowpack, ease drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The snowpack is considered California's largest reservoir, and is vital to fill streams and lakes as it slowly melts. The record precipitation and accompanying powerful storms in December and February have also dramatically lessened California's ongoing drought, a team of U.S. government agencies said this week. By contrast, just three months ago the entire state was considered to be experiencing drought conditions. California has cycled through four periods of drought since 2000, making less water available to irrigate crops and sustain wildlife along with meeting the needs of the state's 40 million residents. Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Yosemite National Park Closed Indefinitely After Latest California Snowstorms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Snowpack blocked entrances and engulfed structures at Yosemite National Park in California. The latest storms in an unusually difficult winter for California forced Yosemite National Park to remain closed indefinitely on Thursday as parts of the park were buried in up to 15 feet of snow. Yosemite, one of the state’s most famous landmarks, has been closed since Saturday after snowstorms moved through the area, according to the National Park Service. A Yosemite spokesman said Thursday that the agency hasn’t set a reopening date because park crews still need to clear roads, dig out walkways and remove snow from roofs.

☆ Strong Snowpack Results in a Boost to Water Supplies for California Farmers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Jim Carlton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

California farmers have largely gone without allocated water during the past three years, the driest on record in the state. California farmers, strained by years of drought, will get the highest allocation of water since 2019 for the year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Wednesday. Much of the water California farmers rely on comes from the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which is corralled into reservoirs when it melts off in the spring and delivered by federal and state officials to irrigate crops. They had largely gone without during the past three years, the driest on record in the state. They now stand to get at least 35% of their contracted supplies.

☆ California water officials raise State Water Project allocation after storms
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The reservoir, part of the State Water Project, is currently at 35 percent capacity, below the historic average of 43 percent. As California prepared for a powerful winter storm system on Wednesday, state water officials announced that they are increasing supplies for water agencies serving about 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland. The Department of Water Resources (DWR) said in a news release that the modest increase in forecast State Water Project deliveries this year comes because of early gains in the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which translated to an additional 210,000 acre-feet of water. DWR now expects to deliver 35% of requested water supplies, up from 30% forecasted in January. The State Water Project collects water from rivers in Northern California and delivers it to 29 public water suppliers.

Houseboats on Lake Oroville during a drought in Oroville, California, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 11, 2021. Lake Oroville, California's second-largest reservoir, has experienced a dramatic rise in water levels after a series of atmospheric river storms in January triggered widespread flooding while boosting the Sierra Nevada snowpack and the state's drought-stricken reservoirs. Previous record-low water levels at Oroville were triggered by drought conditions exacerbated by climate change. While California consistently experiences drought, climate change has fueled especially high temperatures and dry soil that have significantly reduced water runoff into the reservoirs. Photos taken in 2021 and 2023 show how much more full Oroville is following the January storms:

☆ Russia is expected to launch a new Ukraine offensive, but it faces a familiar obstacle: Mud
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesUkraine and many Western analysts believe Russia is on the precipice of launching a new, large-scale offensive but it's likely to encounter a familiar obstacle: mud. Ukrainian servicemen push a car stuck in mud on a field road on the frontline in Donetsk region, on December 17, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Global Images Ukraine | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesUkraine has urgent, pressing problems to contend with before the mud arrives with its forces observing Russian forces slowly but surely approaching and encircling the Donetsk city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian tankers near an undisclosed front line position in eastern Ukraine on Nov. 28, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yevhen Titov | Afp | Getty Images

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