News Release: DWR Experimental Winter Outlook for Water Year 2014 — Sees Mostly Dry Conditions for California
From the California Department of Water Resources (DWR):
“As part of ongoing work to develop seasonal water supply forecasting ability, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) annually convenes researchers to develop an experimental winter outlook forecast, and to review other factors that may assist in improving forecasting skill at lead times ranging from several weeks to a year. …
“The experimental forecast prepared for DWR by Dr. Klaus Wolter of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado makes the following predictions based on statistical models that consider global influences on California climate:
- Mostly dry conditions for most of California, with dry conditions being especially likely in Southern California.
- Near-normal to drier than normal for the Colorado River Basin, an important source of water supply for Southern California, although not as dry as in water year 2013.
- A small chance of a spring shift to El Niño conditions that could bring wetter weather for Southern California late in the season.
Read more from DWR’s news release