National Weather Service offices in California are scaling back operations ahead of the critical winter storm season, as federal cuts and staffing shortages take a toll. The California-Nevada River Forecast Center, which is run by the weather service and provides water managers with critical data to prevent river flooding, is seeing cutbacks that could end up “limiting the state’s ability to track … dangerous shifts in weather,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said last week. … The number of written forecasts issued by the Sacramento office, which watches for winter storms across the Northern Sierra, has plummeted since it announced cutbacks in April. 

Other weather and water forecast news:

• The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, Calif.): Is SoCal facing a La Niña? What to know about weather, rain impacts
• Arizona Republic (Phoenix): Did recent storms affect Arizona’s drought? What the experts say about conditions
• FOX13 (Salt Lake City, Utah): Wet fall gives hope for a healthy Utah snowpack, hydrologists say
• California Department of Water Resources: Video: How DWR is preparing for flood season