As we enter the critical rainy months of December through March, we find ourselves in two unusual and conflicting situations: lack of water and an abundance of it. So far this rainy season, the Department of Water Resources says California’s water year is off to a relatively dry start with October and November. … Last week, the department announced that its customers who serve 27 million Californians, will get only ten percent of their water rights. The department further says it is hopeful that this El Niño pattern will generate wet weather, but it may not. … ”Now we’ve seen, so far through the fall, a pretty dry year; only half of the precip we would expect by now,” said state climatologist Michael Anderson. UC Merced’s Center of Watershed Sciences expert agrees. “Average snow water content is much lower. Precipitation is much lower than average for this time of the year, so that’s where we are,” Josue Medellin-Azuara said.

Related articles:

• SF Gate: NOAA lays out what could happen in California during strong El Niño
• Journalist’s Resource: How El Niño and La Niña climate patterns form
• The Washington Post: Atmospheric river kills two, brings flooding in Pacific Northwest
• Axios: Powerful atmospheric river floods Pacific Northwest with heavy rains
• Associated Press: Record-breaking rainfall and December temperatures on par with Florida are shutting down the Pacific Northwest with floods