California drying

[4wd]

[Gray-Wolf]

Looks like the plot shows the west responding to the general cooling trend over the past 1,000yrs (wetter) but then launched into this drought?

 

I wonder what will happen when the 'hiatus' years come to an end and we flip back into PDO+ve/IPO+ve? I'd rather imagine it would be back to the 'wetter' scenario with more frequent Nino's bringing winter rains/snow to the region?

 

Of course California needs that flip last year!!!!!

[knocker]

Climate Case Study: California Drought (1)

 

 

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/RickyRood/comment.html?entrynum=308

[knocker]

Lakehead CA doesn't look so lake-y any more. Stunning photos from the drought. http://goo.gl/DhW5M7 

[knocker]

The California Drought

 

http://www.californiadrought.org/

[knocker]

With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/us/california-drought-tulare-county.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LargeMediaHeadlineSum&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

[knocker]

California: Paradise Burning

 

Edited October 6, 2014 by knocker

[knocker]

The Decline of California Agriculture Has Begun

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/10/california_central_valley_agriculture_drought_and_climate_change_photos.html

[knocker]

202 drought maps reveal just how thirsty California has become

http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-g-california-drought-map-htmlstory.html

[alexisj9]

Fingers crossed things change soon and they get some much needed rain, I also hope that it is light so it has a chance to seep into the hard ground instead of causing flooding and running straight into the sea.

[Pennine Ten Foot Drifts]

Hopefully you and the NMME are correct.

 

New June NMME today shows classic El Niño rainfall pattern for US this Oct-Nov-Dec. Above normal rains psbl for CA. pic.twitter.com/glI5vPHUqq

 

Has it started raining yet Knocker, we're over halfway through the Oct-Nov-Dec period ?

[knocker]

According to NOAA, the last 3 years have been the driest on record in California. (More than 20 inches below average)

 

[knocker]

Has it started raining yet Knocker, we're over halfway through the Oct-Nov-Dec period ?

 

Right on cue.

 

Huge Rainstorm Poised to Ease California's Thirst

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2877

[Pennine Ten Foot Drifts]

So some respite. A brief stay of execution, or something more significant, I guess only time will tell.

[knocker]

NWS expecting 4-6" widespread over Northern California thru Friday evening. higher amounts at elevation pic.twitter.com/6VumokVIWo

[knocker]

Recent storms added about 97,755,428,600 gallons (300k AF) of water to Lake Shasta, California’s biggest reservoir. http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/resDetailOrig.action?resid=SHA â€¦

[knocker]

California Drought Worsening During Height of Rainy Season

 

The Western U.S. winter rainy season has reached its halfway point, and there is only bad news to report for drought-beleaguered California. November through March marks the period when California receives its heaviest rains and snows, thanks to the wintertime path of the jet stream, which dips to the south and brings wet Pacific low pressure systems to the state. The rainy season started out promisingly, with several December storms bringing precipitation amounts close to average for the month over much of the state. Troublingly, though, record-warm ocean temperatures off of the coast meant that the December storms were unusually warm. This resulted in snow falling only at very high elevations, keeping the critical Sierra snow pack much lower than usual. The jet stream pattern shifted during January 2015, bringing disastrously dry conditions to the state. January usually brings 4.19" of rain to San Francisco, but no rain at all has fallen in January 2015 in the city--or over much of Central California. The dryness has been accompanied by near-record warmth at higher elevations in the Sierras, with temperatures at Blue Canyon and South Lake Tahoe averaging nearly 8°F above average for the month of January. As a result, the snowpack in the Sierras--a critical reservoir of water that is used throughout the rest of the year--is abysmally low, running about 30% of normal for this time of year. California's eight largest reservoirs are 33% - 86% below their historical average, and the portion of the state covered by the highest level of drought expanded in mid-January--a very ominous occurrence for the height of the rainy season.

 

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2901

[knocker]

California's 'Dismally Meager' Snowpack Signals More Drought

 

California's snowpack is just a quarter of its typical level for this time of year.

 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150130-snowpack-snow-drought-california-environment-united-states/

Edited January 31, 2015 by knocker

[Gray-Wolf]

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=85199

 

images showing the impacts of the ongoing drought on agriculture across the region ( from NASA)

[knocker]

For the first time in recorded history San Francisco got literally no rain in January — the peak of the wet season

Read more: http://uk.businessinsider.com/northern-california-driest-january-on-record-2015-1?r=US#ixzz3QZSSCEfO

[Terminal Moraine]

That is remarkable. It's been a warm month too by the look of the daily record.

[Vorticity0123]

For the first time in recorded history San Francisco got literally no rain in January — the peak of the wet season

 

It has been a repetition of the same atmospheric pattern - being a 500 hPa ridge over the western part of the US accompanied by deep troughing over the eastern US. For example, take a look at the current pressure map for the UK:

 

GFS MSLP and 500 hPa heights (colours), 06Z T0

 

This prevailing ridge-trough pattern has caused very dry conditions over California to persist on average during the last two years or so.

 

More reading can be found here:

 

http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~shs/Climate%20change/Climate%20model%20results/Probable%20causes%20of%20the%20abnormal%20ridge%20accompanying%20the%202013-14%20California%20drought%20%20ENSO%20precursor_files/grl51633_002.pdf

 

Sources:

http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~shs/Climate%20change/Climate%20model%20results/Probable%20causes%20of%20the%20abnormal%20ridge%20accompanying%20the%202013-14%20California%20drought%20%20ENSO%20precursor_files/grl51633_002.pdf

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/topkarten/fsavnnam.html

[knocker]

A deluge is expected in N.California on the Pineapple Express.

Chart weatherbell

Edited February 2, 2015 by knocker

[knocker]

Sierra Nevada Snowpack Comparison 2014 - 2015

 

http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/imageoftheday.php

[4wd]

Looks like a major wet spell about to start.
It is very much El Nino-like even if it wasn't an El Nino officially.