[Water_news] 1. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS - Top Item for 2/13/09

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment

 

February 13, 2009

 

Top Item–

 

Forecasters hope coming storms nurture a 'Fabulous February'

The Sacramento Bee – 2/13/09

By Matt Weiser

 

Weather forecasters are quietly using the term "Fabulous February" to describe a series of storms likely to bring heavy rain and snow to California through at least Tuesday.

 

They aren't yet prepared to also call it a "drought buster." But forecaster Steve Goldstein said the approaching storms might be enough to at least bring this winter back into "normal" territory.

 

The forecast, he said, calls for 4 inches of rain in the Sacramento Valley by Tuesday, and more than 6 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada.

 

"That's a lot of snow. We sure need it," said Goldstein, who works in the National Weather Service Sacramento office. "To bust the drought we would need a long-term period of wet weather. However, this will definitely stop the bleeding."

 

Though good news for California's water supply, it does not bode well for this weekend's Tour of California bicycle race. The worst of the weather will come Saturday night through Sunday, hitting the first stage of the bike race, from Davis to Santa Rosa.

 

Officials advise the public not to travel in the Sierra Nevada during the holiday weekend, as highway closures and blizzard-like conditions are possible.

 

Today, the snow level will drop to 1,500 feet, with a foot or more likely near mountain highway passes.

 

Saturday night, a new storm is expected to tap into tropical moisture in the western Pacific Ocean. This likely will mean more snow, but at higher levels. It also will bring strong winds, with gusts of 45 mph likely in Sacramento.

 

"It looks to be probably the highest-impact weather we've had so far this winter," Goldstein said.

 

The National Weather Service used the term "Fabulous February" in a forecast discussion posted on its Web site at 3:50 a.m. Thursday. It's an offhand reference to the "Miracle March" of 1992 that broke a years-long drought, one of the state's worst.

 

Meeting those expectations largely depends on whether another storm Wednesday proves to be as wet. Long-range weather models disagree about that, Goldstein said.

 

Storms earlier this week have boosted the state's snowpack substantially. Automated gauges show snow depths have grown between 1 and 4 feet in many parts of the Northern Sierra, a region vital to statewide water supplies. #

 

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1621992.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 California.