Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
February 04, 2009
Top Items–
Rain, snow on the way
The Sacramento
Survey paints bleak picture of Sierra snowpack
The
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rain, snow on the way
The Sacramento
By Niesha Lofing
Sunny skies today likely give way to cloudy, stormy conditions this week as a series of weather systems make their way into the
High temperatures today will be in the upper 60s, but clouds will begin spreading across the region.
There is a 30 percent chance of rain late tonight and into Thursday morning, with lows in the mid 50s, said Karl Swanberg, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in
Temperatures Thursday are forecast around 57 degrees and rain is likely for much of the day.
Windy conditions also are possible Thursday night, with southeast winds of 10 to 20 mph and local gusts around 35 degrees, he said.
Rainfall totals associated with the storm are estimated at about a half inch of rain in the valley and three-quarters of an inch of rain in the foothills.
Up to a foot or foot and a half of snow is possible over the higher elevations of the
What's in store Friday? Well, much of the same.
"Another system is coming in for Friday, with rain showers likely for the area as well as a slight chance for thunderstorms in the late morning and afternoon hours," Swanberg said.
A chance of rain lingers into Saturday, when partly cloudy skies are forecast to blanket the region.
Sunday morning may be sunny, but rain is possible late Sunday and into Monday, he said.#
http://sacbee.com/latest/story/1598066.html
Survey paints bleak picture of Sierra snowpack
The Merced
On Tuesday morning, Frank Gehrke was standing at 8,500 feet elevation, looking down on the Tahoe Drainage area, near
In his shirt sleeves, with the temperature about 50 degrees, Gehrke was fixing a snow sensor, a device that gives constant information about the snowpack to the California Department of Water Resources, Gehrke's employer.
While he was working at fixing the sensor, Gehrke was worried about the snowpack. He has been part of the state's snow survey team since 1981, and this year is one of the worst he's seen.
"This feels and looks like it's a mid-April snowpack instead of a mid-February one," Gehrke said.
The official snow survey results from the department show a snowpack in the Sierra that's only 61 percent of normal.
Every month, from January through May, a manual snow survey is done by the department, according to Don Strickland, an information officer with the public affairs office of the department.
In addition, snow sensors are spread throughout the Sierra, sending information about snow and rain daily to the state.
In the northern Sierra, the snow is only at 46 percent of normal. In the central Sierra, it's at 59 percent, and in the southern Sierra, the pack is at 62 percent of normal.
Snow surveying began in the early 1900s, with Lake Tahoe one of the first sites in the
Now the snow surveys are done as a cooperative effort among state, national and private agencies.
There are about 50 teams that check the snowpack, Strickland said, and the teams take snow samples from places throughout the
One of the main reasons the snowpack is checked is to see how much water the state water project can give to its contractors, Strickland said. There are 29 water and irrigation districts that get water from the state water project. Some of those water districts are on the Westside of the
"Right now, those districts are looking at getting only 15 percent of their normal allocation of water," Strickland said.
More bad news may be coming from the federal government, Strickland said. He's heard that the Central Valley Project, a federal program that provides water to water districts on the Westside of the county, will be telling those districts they are getting no water at all this year.
Although the snowpack numbers are in the tank right now, there's a little hope on the horizon. A storm is expected to hit
Cindy Bean, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in
Bean said that the storm should bring about a half-inch of rain to the Valley floor, but the snow elevation will be high, at about 6,500 feet to start, falling to 5,000 feet by Thursday night.
Bean said there may be another weather system coming next week, but it doesn't look strong at this point.
The lack of rainfall has already hit cattle ranchers this year. Grasses in the foothills the ranchers depend on for winter feed are almost nonexistent this year.
While the water situation looks gloomy, there's still some optimism. David Robinson, the agriculture commissioner for
"We would expect rainfall in February and March," Robinson said. "But right now, it's not looking good."
Gehrke agreed. He said dry autumns and below-normal snow in the mountains so far spell bad news for everyone.
"If we have a March like last year, it's looking pretty grim," Gehrke said.#
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/220/story/672507.html
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DWR’s California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader’s services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news . DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of
No comments:
Post a Comment