Tag Archives: California drought

environmental news, national news, political news

Yes, Donald, there’s a drought in California

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Donald J. Trump has declared there to be no drought in California.

It doesn’t exist, he said. There’s so much water way out west, he said, they’re sending it into the sea.

Let’s see.

That part of the country has seen record low snowpack. The rain has tailed off dramatically in many parts of the state. Residential, commercial and industrial development has continued at a frantic pace, forcing the consumption of water.

No drought?

Trump is mistaken. Again!

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fea527c86dfe42c78609619c5ce7fd59/trump-vows-solve-californias-water-crisis

Trump’s reference to sending water into the ocean appears to deal with a dispute inside the state. According to the Associated Press:

“Trump appeared to be referring to disputes over water that runs from the Sacramento River to the San Francisco Bay and then to the ocean. Some farmers want more of that flow captured and diverted to them.

“Politically influential rural water districts and well-off corporate farmers in and around California’s Central Valley have been pushing back against longstanding federal laws protecting endangered fish and other species, saying federal efforts to make sure endangered native fish have enough water is short-changing farmers of the water they want and need for crops.”

Sure, there’s always longstanding disputes in California between environmentalists and agricultural producers. That appears to be the norm there. I won’t argue the point.

However, there really and truly is a drought occurring in California. It’s just not that difficult to realize that diminishing moisture and continued consumption of water puts strains on that priceless resource.

Yes, we have a drought in California.

local news

El Nino gets a new name

Some weather experts are calling the current version of El Nino “Godzilla.”

It’s meant to suggest that the severity of the weather that could be coming to the Pacific Coast is monumental, historic, unprecedented. El Nino is the name the National Weather Service gives to the ocean currents that deliver stormier-than-normal weather patterns. The opposite of El Nino is La Nina, which has been blamed in large part for the drought that has ravaged the West Coast.

http://sfist.com/2015/07/23/godzilla_el_nino_now_being_called_s.php

Many millions of Californians are hoping El Nino takes on Godzilla-like traits, if they don’t live on or within spitting distance of the beach. They need the moisture out there.

I won’t get into the climate change debate with this post, but there does seem to be some significant change in the weather occurring in the Pacific Ocean. And, oh by the way, it’s having an impact on us way inland, many miles away.

We’ve had a very wet spring and first half of the summer on the Texas Tundra. But those of you who live there know that already.

If we’re going to have a Godzilla-like El Nino current for the rest of this year and perhaps well into the next one, then we’re going to see some tremendous benefit from this change in our climate.

The weather that moves in off the mountains to our west has been bringing a lot of rain over the course of the past few months.

We’ll take it. Anytime.

Welcome to the High Plains, Godzilla.

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Punishing rain out west provides glimmer of hope

Texas and California have at least one thing in common.

They’re both places that have been starving for moisture. Happily — and that’s a relative term, to be honest — California has been inundated of late by rain. Lots of it has fallen in a short period of time over much of the state. It’s caused some mudslides and has damaged some homes and no one wishes that on anyone.

More is on the way.

Sitting out here on the equally parched High Plains, I cannot help but hope: Might our drought get some serious relief soon?

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/01/us/california-mudslides/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

One of my sisters lives in Santa Cruz with her husband. Their travels to and from work and across the dreaded Highway 17 to the San Jose area have been fraught with the kind of hazard they haven’t experienced of late. Punishing rain has made driving a bit of a test of the nerves. Driving along Highway 17 in ideal conditions is a challenge.

Sis is up to it, though. She and her husband — not to mention millions of their fellow Californians — are welcoming the moisture. They need it badly.

So do we.

Weather forecasters here aren’t too optimistic about the short-term future regarding rainfall. They keep hedging their predictions on whether we’ll get significant moisture this spring or summer. Then again, I cannot blame them for trying to predict weather for the next hour, let alone for the next day, week or month.

Two months into 2014 and our rain deficit already is piling up. A lot of us are praying for rain, as in getting on our knees and praying. No doubt there was a lot of it going on in California as well.

Did the prayers bring the rain? It’s one of those things you cannot deny categorically.

So … I imagine we’ll keep praying out here and hope we get some of what has drenched the Pacific Coast.