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Let It Snow - California Drought Recovery Remains "Extremely Unlikely"
While so much hope is pinned on El Nino relieving California's drought in early 2016, climatologists suggest tempering that optimism a little as what is really needed is snow. "Since it has been dry for so long, people get excited,” says one hydrologist, but, as Bloomberg reports, without snow "the notion of fully recovering from the drought is extremely unlikely,” as if the storms come in as rain, or the mountain snow can’t pile up high enough, a lot of water will be lost.
California is in its fourth year of drought and almost the entire state is abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Improvement is possible. However, the drought will certainly go into a fifth year, according to the forecast from the U.S. Climate Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. As Bloomberg reports,
The drought relief for California widely expected from El Nino in early 2016 will be far more effective if a chill descends soon -- ideally with a bit of snow.
“If we can get some snow on the ground and some cold nights, it will set up the snowpack and get cool air pooling,” said California State Climatologist Mike Anderson.
Cool air, especially at high altitudes, will help ensure snow falls and stays on the ground in the mountains through the winter, as needed to supply the state’s reservoirs. While that may seem like a non-issue given the height of the mountains and the tradition of heavy snows there, recent years have seen some worrisome trends.
During the winter of 2014-15, the three-month average temperature in the Sierra region topped the freezing mark of 32 degrees Fahrenheit (zero Celsius) for the first time in records dating to 1950, data compiled by Anderson show.
California as a whole posted its warmest February on record and both December and January came in among the top 10, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, North Carolina.
Here is why all of this is important: If El Nino delivers the promised increase in big, wet storms off the Pacific from January to March, California needs a lot of what falls from those systems to be snow.
Snow in the mountains stays there until spring, when it melts, runs off and replenishes the state’s reservoirs. If the storms come in as rain, or the mountain snow can’t pile up high enough, a lot of water will be lost.
So far, the snow in the mountains hasn’t exactly been impressive, and perceptions may have outstripped reality.
“Since it has been dry for so long, people get excited,” said Rob Hartman, hydrologist in charge of the California Nevada River Forecast Center in Sacramento. “We have had some small storms that left a sprinkle of snow in the mountains. We are still waiting for winter to arrive. We are not ahead of schedule by any means.”
But there is some hope...
“The notion of fully recovering from the drought is extremely unlikely,” Hartman said. “But you have to start somewhere.”
That start begins with a little cool air coming in with the next storm. Checking a forecast last week, Anderson said some outlooks were calling for temperatures to reach freezing and below as far down the mountains as 3,000 feet.
“Those are good signs,” he said.
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Climatologists? what do they know? Anyone at ZH can tell you that! /sarc/
They know how to spin things for that grant money.
Who cares, won't matter. WW3 is at the doorstep. It will have recovered by the time CA is habitable again.
We have to DO SOMETHING!!! Too many of the peoples leaving the Land of Fruits and Nuts will infect other states, destroying them as well. Look at how the CA transplants have started to destroy Colorado.
That's a good point, I am afraid for TX's future. Although we outnumber them 9-1. I know this is not a nice thing to do, but we have to make it uncomfortable for CA transplatns here. It goes agisnt my Christian vlaues but in order for TX to remain viable we have to make it bad for them. They must be made to leave. I'll do my part. Here a quick example of what I did the other day at the store. I saw some moron with a CA tshirt on - so I started at him and loudly said "California huh?" Followed by a disapproving head shake. LOL The thing that really gets me is they move here and still proudly wear CA hats, shirts and other bullshit. Taek that shit offf, respect TX.
Fortunately for you Texans most Californians are deathly afraid of Texas becasue the Texas government is not large enough and intrusive enough for them. Texas will be their last choice.
Don't underestimate desperation. The good news is welfare sucks here, so they won't like it. Plus it's hot as shit. BTW I hate Austin, had to throw that in.
WWIII is about to hit the kickoff, and you are worried about what fucking T-Shirt is being worn by somebody whom you feel is a moron?
I weep for Texas.
LOL Don't cry, dry your eye.
Nasa predicts 100 years old drought in California...
http://motivationdose.com/water-shortage-in-california-food-for-freedom-...
Last time I checked, World War II was accompanied by the largest influx of "Grand Social Experiments" in the form of Socialized infrastructure policies the world had ever seen to that point. Not just in America, but globally.
No, this Global War, as with the last, will coincide with a Global New Deal. You'll be living under digitized Neofeudalism far before California will be a Mad Max-esque nuclear wasteland.
WWIII isn't at the doorstep, it's here already... "a series of proxy battles, fought by mercernaries and machines," to quote Hideo Kojima. To say manufactured drought "won't matter" belies an extreme sense of Deep Political ignorance; if you think it's mere coincidence that COP21 and the "Archduke Ferdinand Moment" at the same time in the same city, you're not paying very close attention.
and gatekeepers for the geoengineers.
The 80% of ZHERS these days are Hicktards.They claim to know everything about Energy, Climatology and Wealth.
Using the last 5 years, they can tell you to avoid making money in the stock market, and to "preserve your hard-earned dollars" in PM instead.
Nothing wrong with being Contrarian, but there's everything wrong with being dogmatic and ignoring facts and reality. Odds are, that economically dogmatic people (economic theocrats) are also dogmatic about their other worldviews (Religion -- as in "'My Magic Guy in the Sky' is better than yours").
Kirk - go eat something deep fried - again.
Religion is as tired as your obvious intellectual superiority.
Zero Hedger's world view is the entire time line, thousands of years - not just the next quarterly dividend.
Sit on your paper pile of investments, and strike a match for your best contribution to Zero hedge to date.
The Gods of Scientism over at the IPCC, juking stats and duping the public, the Priesthood in White Lab Coats, are little better than the Trinity sky-dad religion nutjobs.
In fact, last time I checked, weren't the Catholic Church and the United Nations on exactly the same page with regard to the very issue you cite?
This is the rise of the Universal Religion, the Encyclios Paedia, and "they" could care less which branching path on the Road to Serfdom you end up on.
(Government paid) "Climatologists? what do they know?"
Many of them know for a FACT that drastically raising taxes while at the same time an extreme increases in government regulation and loss of individual freedom will stop the Earth from warming - it will actually cool the Earth. Want the Earth a little warmer - lower taxes and regulation. Want it cooler - raise taxes and regulation.
They are so smart...
"first time in records dating to 1950"
WOW!!! All the way back to 1950?!?!!!!
Hurry, quickly publish map and story before 2-3 storm goes across North half of country.
And the map should list % seasonal average for the time frame in question. Not actual quantities.
I'm no climatologist, but I AM in California and at almost exactly 3,000 and presently, for us, it's pretty cold at 49, clouds are building up as we're expecting rain, and we will definitely see snow tonight.
Best thing about the High Desert, though, is the snow usually only lasts long enough to take a pretty picture then it politely goes away.
Climate??? Just affects retail sales, no matter what, according to economic analysts.
sarc off/
We have our choice of tortures here. Thirst, earthquakes or Moonbeam. Maybe we should add some Syrian " refugees" to the pot for shits and giggles.
Miffed
Read that a bumper crop got dropped off in San Berdoo and San Diego.
Dire predictions of any sort, weather, climate change, wars, terrorism, hunger, pestilence in ameriKa never go away.
Lot more Californicators driving around here in AZ.
Morons driving while holding cell phones. Really Wish Siri would give them all a ticket
Be careful what you wish for.
More immigrants drawing from the same depleted resource should do the trick to fix it.
No snow for California this year given that we need it all here in CANADA this year so we can go skiing, and snowmobiling, and ice fishing. Plus our Polar Bears need it too. Californicators can buy Canadian beer as long as they pay the tax when crossing the border.
Move up to Washington State, Miffed - fewer lib tards, fewer gang bangers, lower taxes, way fewer stupid gun control laws, great tech and biotech sectors keeping a decent economy afloat, and better weed if you roll that way. Still got the threat of an earthquake, and lib tards, but not so bad otherwise.
Lets face it - in the near future, the dampest thing in California is gonna be humidity from pet farts by volume.
Apply the double seasonal adjustment, and all is fine.
Must be a scientist from the global warming crowd. Rain that falls now does not just disappear. It will either run off into the reservoirs or will moisten the soil so that the soil won't absorb as much moisture next spring. And if it evaporates - then it increases the moisture in the air!
Tyler, this story makes no sense. You yourself have posted pictures of those reservoirs, they're just bloody empty!! Precipitation in ANY form would be welcomed as long as it hits the water sheds that fill those reservoirs. It makes no difference if that water comes as water, snow, or piss from a bear, those reservoirs can handle it. I'm not sure where you got this meteorologist to gives his expert advice, but he needs to go back to school. Having trashed this article, i love what you normally write...keep it up....
LOL, I was thinking the same thing. These experts are idiots
So far, the snow in the mountains hasn’t exactly been impressive
On Nov 25th, fucktards?
The Old Farmer's almanac has been renamed The New Farmer's Almanac.
In it, California has been marked as no longer having the 4 eternal seasons. Instead, it is down to two: Winter, and Chemtrails
To be honest, the Chemtrails don't stop in the winter.
Are these the same people who keep telling us that it is getting warmer, that the ice is melting at the poles? The same people who miss the UK and European winter climate predictions by a mile yet can predict the climate 10, 20 or 50 years in advance?
And humans with penises can say that they're women?
Yes.
ugh. We deserve what's coming.
It's November 25th, not January.
http://www.sierrasun.com/news/19286613-113/lake-tahoe-weather-ski-resort...
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-sierra-snow-travel-20151123-...
Yep, and it's still snowing at the Lake and should be for the week to come. Not a heavy storm, but cold - the key. Some mountains opened up early and Alpine Meadows had one of its earliest openings to date.
http://yubanet.com/regional/Squaw-Valley-and-Alpine-Meadows-to-Open-Earl...
The attached map is not very accurate. Northern Utah has almost 50 inches in the wasatch and it's snowing a foot over night. Thanksgiving is a powder day in 2015.
Would you point me to the Snotel site that indicates 50 inches of snow? Can't find any Utah Wasatch site much above a foot...thanks
I might head up to Utah if it looks good but I wouldn't depend on the ski resorts giving you an accurate quantity and quality report, they're pretty much lying corporate bastards. The Snotel sites are better indicators.
From your link: "Optimal snowmaking temperatures and around the clock commitment from the Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows snowmaking team have made early opening a reality."
I've been skiing my entire life CO, NM, 50 years at least. Most of the bigger resorts are recently into heavy snowmaking and have invested plenty of money and upgraded equipment to keep the industry churning and openings on schedule. Most of my early years of skiing started early Nov, sometimes late Oct without much snowmaking. Of course there were a few late starts but not many and not sustained like it is now. Any old-timer will tell you the snow comes late now. When it does it's sometimes wetter/heavier than our normal powder, which is the finest in the world. Drought/dryness/lack of skycover actually helps snowmaking because the night-time temps are low due to IR escaping into space. Most of our coldest temps are during dry winter nights. Powder days are few and far between and most of the season the resorts only have ice and "packed powder" though sometimes can't tell the difference. I realize this is only anecdotal evidence. One can only study the body of knowledge from both camps and make their own opinions. Regardless whether we deny or accept, everyone will have to adapt, short-term and maybe long-term.
One more thing, mountain wildfire season depends on snow more than rain. Moisture from snow sitting on the ground is absorbed by everything combustible and will retain that moisture far into the late Spring and almost until the monsoons come, but that ain't happening anymore. We've skated the past few years only because of lucky timing and the fact that half my state, NM, has already gone up in flames several years ago.
I've lived in California my entire life. Northern California, where I'm from, is known for its lush greenery. I'm pretty fucking sure it's going to rain again.
Does anyone here have a forecast from http://www.weatheraction.com ?
Piers Corbyn is the only guy I know of who can forecast with 80% accuracy out to 12 monthes. (BTW he says global warming is a fraud).
They did it to themselves,they could havs just stuck wiyh the plans from the 1940 s at least hey knew enough to save water then. what morons
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/19/science/severe-ancient-droughts-a-warn...
Severe Ancient Droughts: A Warning to California
'hydrologist'?
Other planets?
Hydrology is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability.
They are telling us this winter will be quite warm, I don't even believe that. I don't know what's going on out east but we have been cold and cold early and Washingtonians are freezing their arses off and many don't have power due to a storm (low of 19 and some wind in Spokane area). Must suck to have no power in a freezing global warming winter when your local government doesn't want you to be able to burn wood. Hope people in Washington are thinking about that.
Oh yeah, my friend from Washington who is freezing his nuts off told me that areas of the ME will average 170 degrees by 2050. I shit you not.
In fact, we have too many rains in SF bay area this early winter. Water-saving advertisings already off from local radio stations. Happy wet holiday.
By 2050, ME will probably be hot enough to melt glass.
Move the Burka squad to the mountains. The dark burkas will cause the snow to fall, God willing....
I'm driving North up 395 on the Eastern Sierras to Reno for a Thanksgiving visit. I've been watching weather reports for 5 days. Looks like it's going to be COLD, but not much precipitation. I leave at 0300 from Los Angeles. I hate ice, so precipitation, then freezing temperatures concern me. Especially at night. On the northbound, by the time I get into terrain where icing may be an issue, the sun is up. I don't mind if it's snowing, other than idiots tend to wreck in snow, and cause delays.
So I've been paying attention. It's cold, but it doesn't look like much rain or snow for the weekend. I'll know for sure within a few hours. Happy Thanksgiving.