Genuinely Horrible Central Valley & Sierra Rainfall & Snow Numbers

[hatrack]

EDIT

It's more pain in this storm season, which has almost passed. Tuesday is the unofficial end of California's biggest rain and snow months, ending a dry time from north to south. How bad did it get?

Before a storm passed through last week, San Jose and Fresno were 37% of average, San Francisco International Airport was 33%, Bakersfield 28% and Riverside 23%. Among the National Weather Service's summary list of three dozen California cities, not one is close to 100%.

The northern Sierra, the keeper of the state's biggest water bonanza each year, had a tiny snowpack — 13% of its April 1 average at one point last week. At the state's water crossroads, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, authorities are meeting daily to confirm that water projects are covering health and safety needs for nearly 38 million people. The $45 billion farm industry — much of it in the Valley — will leave several hundred thousand acres of land vacant this summer. Jobless rates are expected to hit 50% in some Valley farmworker towns.

In January, there were 400 wildland fires. Usually, there are no fires to count in that winter month. At the time, Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources, told the media: "The snowpack is far less than any snowpack that we've ever measured even in the state's worst droughts in modern history."

EDIT

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/03/29/3850827/valley-drier-with-no-fog-water.html

[Politicalboi]

1. We were supposed to have rain today, and more on Mon Tue

But by early morning the forecast was changed. Just cloudy for now.

[tularetom]

2. Rained like hell here last night and more predicted Monday pm

There is no snowmelt to speak of, and the reservoirs are empty, so there will be a lot of people clamoring for what little runoff these storms produce.

[Tumbulu]

3. My city friends are surprised that so many of us will have to sell our livestock

and not be able to plant anything that requires any watering past June. In my valley, we normally have a creek that supplies us with water. But no water will be in the creek and most of us will experience wells going dry by midsummer. I have 5000 gallons total in storage tanks, but that may last a month for all my sheep....let alone food for them. Most people are selling half to all of their livestock. This sounds like something easy to do. It is not. I love my sheep, my neighbor and her husband have spent 30 years building up their herd of cattle....they will all be sold for meat in June. These are good mother cows that should live to be 15 or older, but no one wants to see their animals suffer.

Crops...only those with deep wells will be bale to water crops. And mostly people will be trying to save their trees.

We all have the blues........

[appal_jack]

4. I'm so sorry, Tumbulu

I did some garden, landscape, orchard, and vineyard work in Northern California years ago (late-nineties), so I have some vague idea of how limiting water is there. My heart goes out to you and all the working farmers facing tough choices in the coming year.

-app

[XemaSab]

5. It's been raining in Redding for a few days now

Every inch of rain is a foot in the lake.

Things are actually starting to look green.

It's too little, too late, probably, but it's better than where we were two months ago.

[Tumbulu]

6. So true

I think that we all treasure every drop.

And thank goodness for all the rain in February, it would be far worse had it not made it's way to us. But it is still will be a very difficult summer, I am afraid.

[pscot]

7. kick

[OnlinePoker]

8. Here's a link to California Reservoir Levels

Currently it reads 64% but a couple of them aren't reporting so it may be closer to 66% of average for this date.

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/current/RES

[hatrack]

9. 2/28 Totals come in at about 45% of designed capacity, though there's lots of regional variability

With some rains coming ashore in the north since the end of February, some of these totals will have improved somewhat since the 2/28 readings, but there hasn't been much of anything in the way of a really big storm that's going to make up for the terrible snowpack totals, especially now that the rainy season has pretty much ended.

And, as in any state as big as California, there are a few of the larger reservoirs that are in reasonably good shape - Ventura River reservoirs are in OK, if not great shape, and Upper Klamath is doing well to boot.

If you look at the really big California reservoirs (1 MAF or bigger), you'll see storage well below capacity for all of them.

Shasta -
Capacity - 4.552 MAF
Current storage - 38.9% of capacity

Trinity - 2.448 MAF
Current storage - 48.5% of capacity

Almanor - 1.143 MAF
Current storage - 72% of capacity

Oroville - 3.358 MAF
Current storage - 39.8% of capacity

Berryessa - 1.60 MAF
Current storage - 69.1%

New Melones - 2.420 MAF
Current storage - 43.1%

McClure - 1.024 MAF
Current storage - 21.1%

Don Pedro - 2.030 MAF
Current storage - 52.1%

San Luis - 2.039 MAF
Current storage - 33.1%

Pine Flat - 1.00 MAF
Current storage - 19%

Upstream, Powell and Mead are at just over 39% and 46% of capacity, respectively.











http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/reservoirs/STORAGE

[OnlinePoker]

10. My link shows the current levels.

Shasta, for instance is now at 48%, Trinity 53%, and Oroville 48%. For some reason, Almanor isn't listed.

[hatrack]

11. Odd they wouldn't list it . . . but thanks for current numbers

Couldn't get your link to work earlier, for some reason.

Some improvement, certainly, since a month ago, though the southern Sierra reservoirs (Pine Flat, Isabella, McClure) are still definitely in "Yikes!" territory.

[Rhiannon12866]

12. We have flood warnings here in NE NY

Wish we could ship all that water to where it's so badly needed.