More rain, snow expected in storm-battered California, following days of mudslides and floods

[ansible]

Source: USA Today

Californians were in clean-up mode Friday as the state slowly recovers from an onslaught of rain, wind and snow, which brought widespread flooding, mudslides, and washed-out highways.At least two deaths have been blamed on the storm. Although the worst of the storm had moved well inland early Friday, forecasters said some leftover showers and snow was still likely to fall across the state on Friday and Saturday.

The higher elevations of the Sierra could see an additional 3 to 6 feet of snow over the next few days, on top of the 3 feet that fell Thursday, the National Weather Service said. So much snow has fallen in the area that cities are running out of places to put the snow, according to Kevin Cooper of Lake Tahoe TV. In Southern California, officials said rain-drenched hillsides could still loosen and collapse, bringing down mud, boulders and debris.

“The ground is still so saturated and the water is still flowing down from the mountains,” said April Newman, spokeswoman for Riverside County Fire Department.Over 50,000 homes and business were without power as of midday Friday, poweroutage.us reported.

In Sausalito, north of San Francisco, a home smashed into another house after sliding down a hill. One woman was buried under a tree and mud for two hours before fire crews rescued her. The National Weather Service reported staggering rainfall amounts across California. A rain gauge at Palomar Observatory, 60 miles northwest of San Diego, picked up over 10 inches of rain Thursday, that location's wettest day ever recorded.





Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/02/15/california-storms-more-rain-snow-follow-floods-mudslides/2882442002/

[Mr. Evil]

1. All these weird weather patterns...

Where is the MSM telling the truth? Climate change is really simple to explain. Why don't they devote more time to do so? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[GWC58]

3. Climate change?

The religious right will scoff at that notion, instead saying something like “this is God’s Judgement on that Godless Sodam & Gomorrah.” Maybe not exactly, but you get what I’m saying? Those people might be “Christian,” however they are NOT Christlike. 😈👿

[LawnKorn]

10. Climate change is right before our eyes.

There are people on the right who do not see it because of political reasons.

[GWC58]

15. And that, my friend,

is a BIG part of the problem. It’s especially true of the right wing politicians. Two examples would be the “illustrious” (being sarcastic) senator from Oklahoma, James Inhoff, holding a snowball on the floor of the Senate and 4orty5ive berating the issue of climate change, he called it “global warming,” as Senator Klobuchar announced her candidacy, during a snowstorm. These people are willfully ignorant. Actually I think Inhoff and Trump, among others, are “simply stoopit” on this, and many other, issues. Hopefully the latter will be out in another, not quite, two years. As for the former, well, it appears Inhoff has a “seat for life.” I don’t see him getting primaried; can’t go much further right than that asshole (whole ass). 🥴☠️

[msongs]

2. typical california weather in a wet phase. probably back to a few drought yrs soon nt

[lucca18]

4. The storm in the San Francisco Bay Area was really fierce and it went on throughout the night!

The wind and rain were so powerful!

The rain pounded against the house, and the trees seemed out of control as they fought against the wind.

The area where I live had eight inches of rain.
Part of my background looks like lake.

[CountAllVotes]

5. Thunder, lightning, hail, flooding

It seems never ending right now.

Very cold.

They are saying not to go out -- Safety Alerts from the Highway Patrol.

Dangerous conditions.

Best to stay indoors!

[The Mouth]

7. Kind of disagree...

This is great running weather. Love the coast in a storm.

People who have moved here in the last 10-20 years are going 'TEOTWAWKI', but I remember 5 or 6th grade with the same wild weather- blue in one direction, storming in another, get sunburned or hailed on or both in a couple of blocks. I know well where the creek by the house I've lived in for 50 years gets to!


I mean the same flippin' places have been flooding since Ike was president.

[CountAllVotes]

12. Oh, I am not complaining about it

I don't have to go out! Good news for me.

That means I cannot spend any $!

Glad to see all of this weather after too many years of drought.

[The Mouth]

6. One thing about the saturated ground here

is that it is needed to recharge the aquifers. That needs to have the ground nice and saturated if I'm not mistaken

I've lived here for 50+ years, this winter is a lot like the ones I remember growing up as a kid. February was always rain, rain, and more rain, and the Russian River flooded often, that is why it was so less densely populated, many of the places built here were summer homes, on high frames, it was barely noteworthy in the local rag when it flooded out there, with exceptions like '64.

Not saying the climate isn't changing, but this particular winter 'feels' much more like the ones of 45-55 years ago.

[ansible]

8. Yeah, the 1964 flood was quite exceptional

I live near Mariposa and visit this area all the time to prospect for gold since there's still quite a bit of it left around here. The bridge on Highway 140 by Briceburg has huge boulders all over the place that were washed here by the 1964 flood. I took these pictures last November and was standing in the middle of the creek here, now it's completely submerged underwater.

[Snellius]

14. This is true.

I grew up in CA back then. Outside Sacramento there is a huge flat plain that they used to divert the overflow from the Sacramento River when the dams couldn't hold it and water levels got too high. (It was also a perfect wetland for growing rice.) It's crossed by miles of a kind of bridge called the Causeway and I remember as a kid in the 50s driving over it and seeing an ocean in the valley, nothing but water for as far as the eye could see. I have photos of a great aunt rowing down K Street from back then.

Despite the extremes CA has an amazing natural water system: warm ocean air off the Pacific, hitting the mountains, collected and stored in the Sierra snow that flows into two enormous rivers, one from the north, one from the south, most of the length of state, both flowing into SF, one of the most perfect natural ports in the world. Southern CA is different. The soil is clay, dry, hard as a rock but which, when it gets supersaturated, turns to a viscous ooze that's as slippery as quick sand, enough to pull off your boots.

[dalton99a]

9. More snow in Redding than Boston

California is known as a land of sunshine. But, for the extreme weather that has accompanied the West’s colder months, California might as well be called the snowy state.

A series of winter storms has brought record-breaking rainfall and dropped snow levels dramatically across the state, causing fresh powder to fall in areas that rarely see any. First, snow fell along the coast in Northern California’s Humboldt County on Sunday. Then, Redding — at an elevation of roughly 500 feet — received more powder over a 12-hour period than Boston has seen this entire winter.

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-state-snow-20190215-story.html

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Rainy season in California

which used to be November --> April, leading to "Gray May" and "June Gloom", and then dry until the fall/winter.

But with climate change, the extremes have caused the whiplash of severe drought and severe floods. And what happens is that with the floods, the vegetation wakes up and gets going, then it goes into a drought and that stuff dries up and becomes fuel for wildfires... it burns, and then the bare hills are ripe for mudslides with any incoming heavy rains.

At least with the snow in the Sierras - that becomes the drinking water later, assuming there isn't a sudden warmup and rapid melt!

[SunSeeker]

13. Yes, we really need the snowpack replenished in the Sierras.

These storms have bern cold, fortunately, leading to more snowpack. Snowpack was extremely low last season, resulting in low many mountain streams drying up during summer. They should keep flowing all summer this year.