As epic snow melts, a California community braces for floods
1 year, 7 months ago

As epic snow melts, a California community braces for floods

Associated Press  

LEMOORE, Calif. — Ron Caetano is packed and ready to go. Ron Caetano stands in a trailer packed with his family's belongings in anticipation of flooding of the Kings River in the Island district of Lemoore, Calif., Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Ron Caetano opens a box in a trailer packed with his family's belongings in anticipation of flooding of the Kings River in the Island District of Lemoore, Calif., Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Lindzie Nail, 35, stands for a photo outside her home surrounded by a berm built in anticipation of flooding of the Kings River in the Island district of Lemoore, Calif., Thursday, April 20, 2023. Brennon Williams operates a lawn mower at his girlfriend's home as sandbags are prepared in anticipation of flooding of the Kings River in the Island District of Lemoore, Calif., Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

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History of this topic

California has underestimated the epic potential of future flooding, research shows
6 months, 3 weeks ago

California has underestimated the epic potential of future flooding, research shows

LA Times  

For well over a century, the Great Flood of 1862 has remained among California’s worst natural disasters — a megastorm that’s been used as a benchmark for state emergency planners and officials to better prepare for the future. After analyzing layers of sediment at Carrizo Plain National Monument, researchers at Cal State Fullerton say they have identified two massive, unrecorded …

Fear of the ‘Big Melt’ turns to big relief along California’s Eastern Sierra
1 year, 4 months ago

Fear of the ‘Big Melt’ turns to big relief along California’s Eastern Sierra

LA Times  

Although a state of emergency remains in effect throughout much of the Eastern Sierra Nevada — a region where epic snowpack had threatened to unleash catastrophic flooding on small valley towns — local officials and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power are finally breathing a collective sigh of relief: The worst days of the “Big Melt” are over, …

Risk of ‘catastrophic flooding’ has diminished in Tulare Lake Basin, officials say
1 year, 7 months ago

Risk of ‘catastrophic flooding’ has diminished in Tulare Lake Basin, officials say

LA Times  

The risk of catastrophic flooding in the Tulare Lake Basin has diminished as cool temperatures have predominated this spring, flattening the melt curve of the Sierra’s epic snowpack, state officials said Monday. Indeed, Mehdi Mizani, the Department of Water Resources’ lead engineer on the Tulare Lake Basin, said the latest models suggest water levels will top out at around 181.1 …

California’s colossal snowpack has yet to melt: ‘Less and less places for that water to go’
1 year, 7 months ago

California’s colossal snowpack has yet to melt: ‘Less and less places for that water to go’

LA Times  

A man fishes through a hole cut in the ice at Crowley Lake on the opening day of trout season Saturday. “I know that’s hard to believe, but we’re getting into May and the peak is probably yet to come.” A Department of Water Resources crew conducted its fifth snow survey of the year Monday and determined that statewide snowpack …

California faces rapid snowmelt from heat wave; flood fears in Yosemite, elsewhere
1 year, 7 months ago

California faces rapid snowmelt from heat wave; flood fears in Yosemite, elsewhere

LA Times  

After weeks of uncertainty, forecasters say an incoming California heat wave will trigger rapid snowmelt on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada and cause more flooding in portions of the San Joaquin and Owens valleys this week. “A lot of rivers that are currently fairly high, but well within their banks, might exceed flood stage by later this week,” Swain …

Editorial: Drought and flood, California’s double whammy
1 year, 8 months ago

Editorial: Drought and flood, California’s double whammy

LA Times  

Just as federal officials were laying out alternative scenarios last week for steep water supply cuts from the Colorado River due to the drying Southwest, California officials were warning that this year’s historic Sierra snowpack could flood much of the state later this year. Lake Mead, and farther up the Colorado River, Lake Powell — Southern California’s two big out-of-state …

Worry and suspicion reign as once-dry Tulare Lake drowns California farmland
1 year, 9 months ago

Worry and suspicion reign as once-dry Tulare Lake drowns California farmland

LA Times  

Sixth Avenue used to cut through miles of farmland. “I’m just amazed at how fast it filled.” Mark Grewal, an agricultural consultant, stands on a flooded road near Corcoran, where Tulare Lake is reappearing and inundating thousands of acres of farmland. In previous flood years, Grewal said, levees were typically cut open in an agreed-upon order, sending water from one …

Drone photos show dramatic rise in California reservoirs after record-setting rain, snow
1 year, 9 months ago

Drone photos show dramatic rise in California reservoirs after record-setting rain, snow

LA Times  

Winter storms across California have significantly improved drought conditions and filled state reservoirs that had held less than a third of their capacity. Lake Oroville’s water level rose steadily with each storm passing California this winter. A November 2022 image shows low water conditions surrounding Granite Bay Main Beach at Folsom Lake in Placer County, when the reservoir storage was …

Before and after photos from space show storms’ effect on California reservoirs
1 year, 9 months ago

Before and after photos from space show storms’ effect on California reservoirs

LA Times  

Bidwell Bar Bridge at Lake Oroville on Feb. 8. After a series of atmospheric-river storms hit California in December and January, the state’s two largest reservoirs are looking a lot fuller than they did a few months ago. And data updated Monday from the California Department of Water Resources’ tracker show the reservoir climbing to 60%, still below historical levels …

Photos show Lake Oroville's rise after epic storms
1 year, 10 months ago

Photos show Lake Oroville's rise after epic storms

LA Times  

Lake Oroville, a key component of California’s water supply, looks noticeably fuller after a series of January storms. Shocking images that year illustrated the worsening drought conditions, including exposed portions of Oroville’s lakebed and a distinct “bathtub ring” indicating just how far the water had receded. Jeanine Jones, Interstate Resources Manager for the Department of Water Resources, said in a …

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