We're taking promising steps in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go."Ĭalifornia is not the only state suffering from a severe drought. We can strategically flood farmland to store water underground in what is called 'managed aquifer recharge.' Finally, we can invest in our water delivery systems to get more water where it needs to go during droughts."Ĭorringham added: "But unless we make a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the weather in California will get more extreme and unpredictable.
"We can use improved storm forecasts to give reservoir operators greater flexibility. We can strengthen our dams and levees and restore our natural floodplains," Corringham said. "Fortunately, there are steps we can take to limit the negative impacts on our communities and our livelihoods. As wet winter storms become the new normal, Corringham said there were ways to prepare for the extreme conditions. However these atmospheric rivers-a corridor of concentrated, tropical moisture traveling through the atmosphere-can cause it to melt all at once, causing even more flooding.Įxperts believe these extreme weather events are all a direct result of climate change. Come spring, the snowpack melts and gradually replenishes California's reservoirs. The bout of cold weather over the winter meant that snowpack in the Sierra Nevada was at record levels. "Most of the flooding that occurs in California is due to atmospheric rivers and these are projected to get longer, wetter and wider in the coming decades." This will generate floods but also make it harder to capture water in our reservoirs, making drought impacts even worse," Corringham said. "In California's future, we expect to see shorter winters and more precipitation falling as rain instead of snow. When land has been dry for a long time, the ground can become parched, meaning that water does not saturate. Even if it does, experts have warned that it is only a short-term solution.Įxtreme dry periods followed by extreme wet periods can lead to more problems. It remains to be seen whether this week's storm will alter the state's drought status further. Some small portions were in a moderate-to-severe drought. Most of the state was classified as abnormally dry, with some areas not in a drought at all.
The rest of the state was in a severe drought, with very small portions in a moderate drought or abnormally dry.Ī map from February 28 looked very different. Floods are about to threaten nealry half of the U.S.īack in October, large portions of California were in an extreme or exceptional drought.Drought-stricken California lake set to overspill after heavy rain.
Drone video shows buried highway after California landslide.In February, drought conditions did improve across much of the state. In high elevations, up to 4 feet of snow could accumulate.Ĭalifornia has been in the grip of a drought for two decades, so the wet weather was initially welcomed by some. Heavy snow is also expected in some mountainous areas of Southern California. The National Weather Service warned of high winds as well as rain from San Francisco to San Diego on March 21. It is particularly bad in the south of San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay. Although wet weather had been forecast, the storm hit much harder than expected. Unlike the bomb cyclone seen in December, this week's storm has been concentrated mainly on the coast. At the end of February, the state was hit by strong snowstorms, even in areas used to bone-dry conditions like Los Angeles. This has been described as 'hydroclimate whiplash' or 'weather on steroids.'"Ĭalifornia's recent spate of wet weather started in late December and continued to mid-January. "Higher temperatures also allow the atmosphere to hold more water vapor, leading to more intense storms. Rising temperatures in California dry out our landscapes, leading to longer droughts and more severe fire seasons," said Corringham, whose research focuses on the social and economic impacts of climate change. "When people ask if California is getting wetter or drier, the answer is both. A researcher told Newsweek that extreme weather could worsen in the state due to climate change. A storm brought wind and rain to Manhattan Beach, California, on March 14, 2023.
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