California’s wet season started with a bang, or at least a drizzle, as rain pitter-pattered on the Bay Area last week. But the state’s water experts say at this time of year, they still have to prepare for floods, drought or even both. Oct. 1 officially began the rainy season in California, and with this seasonal shift, they sealed their record of annual rain and snow and started a fresh tally. … Forecasters reported a 71% chance of La Niña beginning this fall. The seasonal climate pattern can signal parched conditions in Southern California but leaves precipitation in the northern part of the state mostly a mystery.

Other water supply news around the West:

• CBS Colorado: La Niña will likely return, but what that means for Colorado’s snow is still a coin flip
• Newsweek: Will ‘astonishing’ ocean temperatures make California winter storms worse?​
• Smithsonian: By 2100, humans might see a glacier-free Sierra Nevada for the first time ever
• Fox 13 (Salt Lake City, Utah): No, Utah’s drought isn’t over after weekend downpours
• KUER (Salt Lake City, Utah): Utah’s October burst of rain is welcome, but may not be enough after a dry year​