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Drought in California weakening as state is battered by storms

The National Weather Service said on Thursday that at least three storms are expected to come crashing in from the Pacific Ocean, dumping three to four inches of rain on most of the Bay Area and surrounding cities by Monday, and eight to 10 inches of snow in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Marin hills and the coast of Big Sur.

While the state is already drenched from one storm that has lead to flash flood warnings and dumped several feet of snow in the higher elevations, residents in Central and Northern California can hopefully have a breather on Friday, giving everyone one dry day before the next series of storms hits on Saturday.

Computer model projection of water vapor transport this weekend  showing a huge plume of moisture po...

Computer model projection of water vapor transport this weekend, showing a huge plume of moisture pointed at central California.
National Weather Service


“It’s not a lot of little storms,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services in Saratoga. “These are significant rain producers,” reports the Mercury News.

Mashable is saying computer models are projecting that the San Francisco Bay Area may see at least five to seven inches of rain over the next seven days. Parts of the Sierra Nevada’s may see upwards of 20 inches or more of rain.

Believe it or not, right now, Squaw Valley/Alpine in the Sierras already has 53 inches of the white stuff, and that’s from the ongoing storm, so there could be a lot more after the coming week. There is a big concern over the next storm, expected to hit on Saturday and last through Monday.

Mild temperature hazards and avalanche warnings
Let’s talk about the storm expected to hit on Saturday, first. There is the worry that along with rainfall, the storm system will also pull in some warmer air. If snowfall at the higher elevations is significant, and it remains so for a long duration, the mild air would cause melting of the snow cover that fell at the lower elevations between 2,500 feet and 8,000 feet, causing problems with freshwater runoff.

Some of the computer models show rainfall at elevations below 9,000 feet, and that would melt any snow on the ground. According to NOAA, a number of water-related hazards, including flooding, mudslides, and other problems could end up creating some major headaches. NOAA has also issued an Avalanche Warning for some mountain areas due to the heavy snowfall.

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National Weather Service


Good news for the drought conditions
After suffering through five-plus years of extreme drought, California’s soil will be drinking up some much-needed moisture with the storms. But atmospheric river events such as the series of storms the state will be experiencing can cause more trouble than is needed.

It’s sort of like giving a person too much water when they are dying of thirst. They end up vomiting most of the water back up. Well, the same thing can happen when dry, parched land gets too much rain or snow all at once and much too quickly for the moisture to be absorbed properly. The atmospheric rivers become counterproductive, not helping at all.

But we will keep a close eye on the storm systems and update everyone as needed. If you have to be out-and-about, make sure you check your local weather. There are already reports of flooding and landslides, according to the Weather Channel.

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We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

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