Thursday Top of the Scroll: California went from drought to ‘epic’ snow. What it could mean for spring flooding
Nearly every square mile of California was in a severe drought four months ago. … Now we’re worrying about whether we have too much water in some places. California, always a state of extremes, rarely faces one quite like this. After three years of drought, the state’s snowpack is suddenly the deepest it’s been on record for mid-January. Most spots in the Sierra already have far more snow today than is usually measured on April 1, the date the snowpack typically peaks. In the central Sierra. The snowpack is 255% of normal for Jan. 17. … The [flooding] concern might increase in April, when the snowpack typically begins to melt, sending water flowing from the mountains and into rivers, streams and reservoirs. Lake Oroville is at just 58% of total capacity, but already has more water than it had in either 2021 or 2022.
Related articles:
- The New York Times: Los Angeles County’s Black residents are most at risk in major floods
- The New York Times: Despite rain storms, California is still in drought
- Channel 12 – Bakersfield: Dry spell expected to slow California’s record snowpack pace
- NASA: An Outpouring of Color