California Sierra snowpack approaching 40 year record highs

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
41,358
10,478
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Just had a peak at 10 day outlook in my locale and it says showers most days. Then looked up snowpack and they're saying looks like cold and rain may extend into April! :oops: I'm OMG, my plans for my yard need revisions. This is shaping up to be the year we hoped for in terms of drought busting, yep. Groundwater replenishment will take more than this, but the reservoirs should mostly be pretty set for now.

“Statewide, the snowpack is 181% of average for this time of year and 156% of average for April 1, when the California snowpack typically peaks,” the Chronicle reports. “In some parts of the Sierra, snowpack levels are even on pace to surpass totals for the 1982-1983 season — the winter of record in the modern era.”
 

conehead433

Diamond Member
Dec 4, 2002
5,569
901
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So California may get it's reservoirs filled later this spring. So maybe a year with no water shortages and then back to the same problems.
 
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Paratus

Lifer
Jun 4, 2004
17,767
16,123
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It's been raining constantly in the valley. Even had some slushy stuff in spots. Rained over an inch in one day. Felt like I was back home in WV.
Wow a whole inch in day?!

(sorry I know that’s a lot for the area but we’ve gotten 15 inches in 2 hours here -gulf coast)
 
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Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
15,613
11,256
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It'll be interesting to see if the Orville spillway hold this time.
 
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Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
36,496
10,769
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Yay for extremely rare third year La Ninas!
Been a rather wild ride, here on the southern end of the Great Lakes region, a mere two weeks have felt like winter. Rest of the past few months have been blazing warm (Relatively speaking).
 

uclaLabrat

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2007
5,632
3,046
136
Yay for extremely rare third year La Ninas!
Been a rather wild ride, here on the southern end of the Great Lakes region, a mere two weeks have felt like winter. Rest of the past few months have been blazing warm (Relatively speaking).
Especially since it seems like we're transitioning into an el nino event, which should mean even more water next year. Although as the climate change impacts increase, not sure if the traditional patterns hold.
 
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Zorba

Lifer
Oct 22, 1999
15,613
11,256
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Since it's been almost totally rebuilt should be fine. The emergency spillway got armored so it doesn't erode the hill holding the dam face if used also. River outlet is serviceable as well now.
I know it should be fine, but it should've been fine before too ;).
 

woolfe9998

Lifer
Apr 8, 2013
16,242
14,245
136
This entire climate pattern is exactly what was predicted by climate scientists. I recall reading an article quoting a climate scientist in which he said that, particularly in coastal regions, we should expect years and years of drought, punctuated by massive weather events and heavy rain causing flooding, then back to years of drought. I read that article almost 20 years ago. The prediction was awfully specific, much more than just saying the planet will warm.

One would think that these accurate predictions would cause the lightbulb to come on for certain people, but unfortunately they seem to be permanently dim bulbs. It's not like their dickbrain conspiracy theories have ever made a single accurate prediction. How many people ended up in FEMA camps by the end of Obama's presidency?
 

MtnMan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2004
9,455
8,866
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How much of this snow pack is in the Colorado River basin, replenishing Lake Powell/Lake Mead, vs. just CA reservoirs or just flowing into the Pacific?
 

blackangst1

Lifer
Feb 23, 2005
22,902
2,360
126
We've had near record level snowfall in northern AZ this year

Arizona snowfall totals: Winter storm batters Flagstaff area | 12news.com

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uclaLabrat

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2007
5,632
3,046
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This entire climate pattern is exactly what was predicted by climate scientists. I recall reading an article quoting a climate scientist in which he said that, particularly in coastal regions, we should expect years and years of drought, punctuated by massive weather events and heavy rain causing flooding, then back to years of drought. I read that article almost 20 years ago. The prediction was awfully specific, much more than just saying the planet will warm.

One would think that these accurate predictions would cause the lightbulb to come on for certain people, but unfortunately they seem to be permanently dim bulbs. It's not like their dickbrain conspiracy theories have ever made a single accurate prediction. How many people ended up in FEMA camps by the end of Obama's presidency?

Lke that clown inhofe saying global warming cant be real cause snowballs still exist. Fucking idiot.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
73,714
35,573
136

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,885
48,659
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I know it should be fine, but it should've been fine before too ;).

From what I read the the dam's main spillway was designed by somebody with little experience and they way underestimated the forces at work (and overestimated the rock stability).

Dunno if they did the emergency spillway too but it was also clearly flawed as minimal flow started to undermine the weir almost immediately. River works outlet was also busted and the state agency injured a bunch of guys trying to improperly operate it years before.
 
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Ajay

Lifer
Jan 8, 2001
16,094
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I really hope the flooding and mudslides won’t be as terrible as times in the past. With all the burn that occurred - mudslides would seem like a big problem. That said, I’m not looking at a topographic map of SoCal with fire damage marked on it.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
73,714
35,573
136
I really hope the flooding and mudslides won’t be as terrible as times in the past. With all the burn that occurred - mudslides would seem like a big problem. That said, I’m not looking at a topographic map of SoCal with fire damage marked on it.
Here ya go…

Note that this is large fires only, 2017 -2021. The 2022 perimeters aren't available here yet.

For fire specific info for Google Earth, you can use the site below. For fire perimeters, select calif_n or calif_s, then CALFIRE or federal (yes, this is a pain), then year, fire name, date, IR, NIROPS, latest date, and then the .kmz file. Isn't that easy? :)

 
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