The Official Drought Thread

[wuapinmon]

JL, how much above normal would the state need to average to come out of this drought?

[All-American]

Only 89% to date down here.

That many singles? I guess marriage really did need protection.

[BigPiney]

We're at about 120% normal snow pack in the northern Sierra and southern cascades. Up north we have been getting a decent amount of rain in the valley but the mountains are really getting dumped on.

Only 89% to date down here.

[bluegoose]

We aren't getting much where it counts for California.

We're at about 120% normal snow pack in the northern Sierra and southern cascades. Up north we have been getting a decent amount of rain in the valley but the mountains are really getting dumped on.

[Moliere]

We aren't getting much where it counts for California.

According to my inlaws it's because you live in a liberal state. Maybe if you passed prop 8 again you would get some moisture.

[Donuthole]

We aren't getting much where it counts for California.

Sorry, ngas about California.

[BigPiney]

We aren't getting much where it counts for California.

[Donuthole]

All this celebrating in the "Steep and Deep" thread has me wondering how long it will be before the "Despite record winter, drought worse than ever" news story drops.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Double yikes.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...ficant-record/

[Uncle Ted]

Climate of doubt

The highway to Oroville, a small town in California’s Central Valley, runs into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. As the road and the temperature climb, the neon lights of the valley’s box stores give way to orchards. Before the weather changed, this was a good place for fruit. Along the highway, hand-painted posters flash: ‘Fresh! Peaches’. The town was founded during the Gold Rush, and although today it’s home to more farmers than miners, it’s still a place where people search for what they don’t have. ‘Severe drought,’ highway signs blink. ‘Limit outdoor watering.’ There’s been no rain here since April, and the land is so dry even the moonlight is dusty. I’ve travelled 3,000 miles to California looking for a woman looking for water. I’ve come to a desert.


Sharron Hope, I’ve heard, can find water underground. As a dowser, she uses tools as simple as a stick to determine where to place a well. Holding a forked branch, Hope can tell if she is approaching a buried spring because she will feel these tools move in her hands. She can even estimate how many feet to dig and how many gallons per minute the finished hole will produce. She’s right so regularly that excavators often call her before breaking ground.


[...]

http://aeon.co/magazine/psychology/d...h-and-science/

Summon Cowboy...

[Uncle Ted]

California Lake Mysteriously Runs Dry Overnight, Killing Thousands Of Fish

A Northern California reservoir ran dry overnight, killing thousands of fish and leaving residents looking for answers.


While a $3.5 million drought safety net at Folsom Lake finishes, a lake in another part of the state is left high and dry.


Thousands of fish lay dead in what used to be Mountain Meadows reservoir also known as Walker Lake, a popular fishing hole just west of Susanville.
[...]

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015/...sands-of-fish/

The Mountains Meadows massacre... of fish.

[Pelado]

The camping business was totally pegged all summer.

Lot of campers from Seattle?

[clackamascoug]

On the bright side - the perfectly green state just north had an absolutely gorgeous summer reminiscent of California. The camping business was totally pegged all summer.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Totally uncharted territory. Worst drought in at least 500 years followed by a massive El Nino. Going to be interesting.

On frequent Fast Sundays (most recently, last week), our SP has put out the word that we should be praying for rain. I'm sort of looking forward to seeing how the precip issue is addressed in the months ahead if El Nino is as advertised. January: "Yay, our prayers have been answered!" February: "Okay, eeeeeeeeeasy, Big Fella..." March: "Pleeeeeeeeeease, stop!"

[Jeff Lebowski]

When I was in Big Sur last year, some of those mudslide blocking fences seemed like they could withstand a large and moving Slor. While I know that anything could happen, are most of those systems designed to withstand something resembling current conditions during a deluge, or is this uncharted territory?

Totally uncharted territory. Worst drought in at least 500 years followed by a massive El Nino. Going to be interesting.