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This is the biggest El Niño on record, and a killer La Niña is coming

Sforza

Member
Veteran
The "experts" said that this big El Nino was supposed to bring a colder and wetter winter to my area of the country this winter. Of course, the "experts" being what they are, we have had a warmer and dryer winter than usual.

It was like the "experts" saying that after the large number hurricanes that hit Florida, then Katrina in 2005, Rita in 2005, and IKE in 2008, that due to climate change, we were going to be getting lots more hurricanes in the Gulf from then on. Of course, as soon as the "experts" made that prediction, we had not had a major hurricane since.

It is this sort of track record that makes me doubt that the "experts" are able to predict the what the climate is going to be fifty years from now. It might warmer, it might be colder, but it will probably be about like it is now. Just like fifty years ago, the weather was about like it is now.
 
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Robrites

It's so warm in Alaska, the famous Iditarod dog-sled race had to ship in snow

It's so warm in Alaska, the famous Iditarod dog-sled race had to ship in snow

For the first time in the history of the event, organizers of the Iditarod sled dog race in Alaska will have to ship in snow due unseasonably warm weather.

The traditional start to the famous, 1,000 mile race from Achorage to Nome begins with a ceremonial trot through downtown Anchorage — but this year race officials have had to improvise to make it work.

The organizers will import 300 cubic yards of snow from Fairbanks — which is 350 miles to the north — via the Alaskan Railroad to be distributed prior to the event on Saturday.

According to Tim Sullivan, the spokesperson for Alaska Railroad and a resident of Anchorage, the company has been in conversation with Iditarod officials all season.

"It's been a warm and snow-free winter," Sullivan said. "It's been in the 40s all week."

The railroad will attach seven cars full of snow collected in their Fairbanks railyard to a southbound freight train later this week, with no charge to the race, Sullivan said.

Anchorage is so snow-starved it has to haul snow in by train for Iditarod start https://t.co/YqeiA7wqFE pic.twitter.com/c7hv7RjVUe
— Alaska Dispatch News (@adndotcom) March 1, 2016



This is the third warm year in a row for Anchorage, which recently broke a local record for its most consecutive days without snowfall.
 
R

Robrites

Powerful El Niño storms bringing rain, snow and gusty winds to California this weeken

Powerful El Niño storms bringing rain, snow and gusty winds to California this weeken

Nothern Califronia was bracing for heavy winds, rain and snow this weekend, while Southern California is expected to get a lighter version of the El Niño storm.

The storm is expected to blanket the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe area with more than 3 feet of snow through the weekend, meteorologist Tony Fuentes of the National Weather Service in Reno said.

Southern California will be hit by two bands of rain. The first, Saturday night and Sunday morning, will be the weaker of the two. The second will hit Sunday evening and continue into Monday, bringing snow levels down to 4,000 feet and a risk of mudslides.

Strong winds will be on tap Monday and Tuesday, along with high surf.

The rain and snow is good news for California’s snowpack, which recently experienced a slight drop after a dry spell hit the state in the past few weeks, Fuentes said.

“Any snow is good,” Fuentes said. “Anything that we get now is beneficial.”

The state’s snowpack levels started off strong and above average in January. But snow levels are now hovering between average and slightly below average, he said.


Moisture levels were “rather disappointing” in California during February, according to meteorologist Dave Miskus of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center.
latimes.com
 
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Robrites

Heavy rains soak Northern California, causing flooding and some evacuations

Heavy rains soak Northern California, causing flooding and some evacuations

Another storm pummeled Northern California on Sunday, dumping snow, heavy rain and powerful winds. It also triggered power outages and forced some evacuations.

About 18 inches of snow fell overnight in Kingvale, with an additional 6 to 12 inches of powder expected to fall Sunday. In the last three days, about 2 inches of rain fell in the valley areas, while up to 6 inches of rain hit the area's foothills.

"It was a pretty good run. It was really helpful in rising the water levels," said Johnnie Powell, a forecaster for the National Weather Service based in Sacramento. "Unfortunately, it's coming to an end."

After Monday, drier, warmer weather is in store for the week.

But the last five days of rain have brought above-average precipitation. During the first two weeks of March, about 4.28 inches fell in the Sacramento area. Normally, the area sees 3.15 inches over the whole month of March, Powell said.

From Saturday to Sunday evening, about 1 inch of rain fell in Richmond, about 0.8 fell in Napa and Sacramento, and 1.6 inches fell in Auburn. A half-inch to an inch was expected to fall through early Monday in the Central Valley, with 1 to 4 inches in the mountains and foothills.

The onslaught of rain lifted creeks and rivers near the flood stage. Alameda Creek near Sunol rose to 7 feet, triggering minor flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

In Morgan Hill, about 35 miles east of Santa Cruz, dozens of people at the Thousand Trails Campground were evacuated because of "rapid flooding" of the Uvas Creek, according to a statement from the campground.

A shelter was set up at Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church, according to Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

latimes.com
 
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Robrites

Latest storms are filling reservoirs and bringing hopes of a 'March miracle'

Latest storms are filling reservoirs and bringing hopes of a 'March miracle'

Ever since a series of winter storms began dumping rain and snow in Northern California last year, officials have been looking for tangible signs that all those storms were making a dent in the state's four-year drought.

This week delivered some pretty powerful evidence.

The latest storms over the weekend pushed California's biggest reservoir past its historical average for mid-March and put the second-largest one at its historical average, officials said.

The rising reservoirs, along with growing snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, are important because both are key sources of water for California.

The snowpack now stands at 92% of normal statewide, with the northern area now at 102% of normal.

"It's definitely a step in the right direction, but it's not a panacea. We're not saved," said Shane Hunt, a spokesman with the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees Lake Shasta, the state's largest reservoir. "We dug a pretty big hole in a lot of spots."

Together the Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville reservoirs have a capacity of more than 8 million acre-feet of water. After a wet weekend in Northern California, Lake Shasta was above its average for this time of year, and by 4 p.m. Monday Lake Oroville had surpassed its historical average, said Department of Water Resources spokesman Doug Carlson.

Some people have referred to the recent storms that have dumped rain and snow on the Sierra Nevada as the "March Miracle."

"It's happened a little quicker than I personally thought," Carlson said. "It would appear the [seasonal storms] have really achieved what they historically do, which is deliver a lot of rainfall to the mountains."

Neither reservoir has reached its historical average in nearly three years, data show.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0315-march-reservoirs-20160315-story.html#nt=oft02a-6la1
 
R

Robrites

We're still in a drought, but see what this reservoir looks like before and after

We're still in a drought, but see what this reservoir looks like before and after

The Almaden Reservoir, near San Jose, was full of water on Monday after four straight days of rain. The downpour has replenished several key reservoirs in drought-stricken California.
picture.php

http://www.latimes.com/local/weathe...slider-20160317-htmlstory.html#nt=oft07a-2gp1
picture.php
 
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Robrites

How 'March Miracle' turned California into snowy winter wonderland

How 'March Miracle' turned California into snowy winter wonderland

Up to another foot of snow is expected in the Sierras over the next two days as yet another storm moves through.

Dubbed by some as the "March Miracle," the storms have helped replenish reservoirs and created a winter wonderland as April approaches. Snow levels in the northern Sierra are now above average. The snow is not enough by any measure to end the drought, but it's making a dent.

This month's rains have bumped the 154 reservoirs tracked by the state up from about 17 million acre-feet of stored water at the end of February to about 21.5 million acre-feet now, said state hydrologist Maurice Roos. That puts California at about 81% of the end-of-March-average, he said.The water content in the state's snowpack is also important because when the snow melts, the water runs off into the reservoirs. The snowpack on Thursday stood at 92% of normal and is expected to still be slightly below average when surveyors perform their March 30 measurement.

The State Water Project is faring better. On Thursday, the Department of Water Resources increased its allocation from 30% to 45%, citing the boosted reservoir levels.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-march-miracle-california-snowy-winter-20160321-htmlstory.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp2
 
R

Robrites

California's largest reservoir filling too fast thanks to El Nino, must release more

California's largest reservoir filling too fast thanks to El Nino, must release more

California's largest reservoir filling too fast thanks to El Nino, must release more water

The El Niño-fueled storms that have swept through Northern California in recent weeks have swelled some of the state’s largest reservoirs to encouraging levels even as the state's drought persists.

One of the biggest beneficiaries has been Lake Shasta, a keystone reservoir of the Central Valley project, which serves California growers.

To make room in Shasta for water from last weekend’s storms, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation ramped up releases from 5,000 cubic feet per second to 20,000 cubic feet per second on March 18. It was the first time since 2011 that the bureau released water into the upper Sacramento River at such a rapid rate, said spokesman Shane Hunt.


Officials began slowing the releases again on Wednesday, Hunt said. The rate is expected to return to around 5,000 cubic feet per second by Monday.

“We never got to the point where the increased releases drew the lake down at all,” Hunt said. “We just slowed how fast we were gaining.”

Lake Shasta, he added, is “still gaining storage and will continue to do so.”

On Thursday, Shasta was holding about 3.9 million acre feet of water, or 87% of its capacity and 110% of average for the day.

Lake Shasta is California's biggest reservoir and a key source of water for the state.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...l-el-nino-20160325-story.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp2
 

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