Tuesday Top of the Scroll: California heat wave set to bake Sierra Nevada snowpack
After weeks of uncertainty, forecasters say an incoming California heat wave will trigger rapid snowmelt on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada and cause more flooding in portions of the San Joaquin and Owens valleys this week. Temperatures in Central California are forecast to climb into the high 80s and mid-90s beginning Wednesday and into the weekend, with the potential for some areas to approach daily records. Nighttime temperatures are also expected to be warmer than usual — around 40 degrees — meaning Sierra snowmelt could start to happen 24 hours a day, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said.
Related articles:
- KQED – San Francisco: What Will ‘The Big Melt’ Look Like in California — and How Much Could It Affect Fire Season?
- Courthouse News Service: Summerlike weather has California bracing for snowmelt flooding
- Washington Post: California’s snowpack may melt rapidly this week as temperatures soar
- Mercury News: “Big melt” begins for Sierra Nevada snowpack
- Associated Press: As epic snow melts, a California community braces for floods
- Bakersfield Californian: Our View - No one will escape the threat of the looming flood
- SJV Water: Kern River “orphan channel” could pose problems during the big melt
- Red-Headed Blackbelt: Snow Melt Causes Main Fork Of The Eel River To Rise
- GV Wire: Newsom Will Visit Tulare Lake Region on Tuesday: Source