Satellite Images 1 Year Apart Paint Grim Picture Of Sierra Snowpack
Two photos, one taken on February 1, 2014 and another taken exactly a year later, show just how non-existent the Sierra snowpack is this year.
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Two photos, one taken on February 1, 2014 and another taken exactly a year later, show just how non-existent the Sierra snowpack is this year.
A ridge of high pressure has kept California high and dry during the month of January, but signs are pointing toward the ridge moving eastward. As the ridge moves, an atmospheric river would likely aim for the coast, possibly bringing rain to the Sacramento region.
The survey on Thursday found a snowpack water equivalent of just 2.3 inches in the scant snowpack near Echo Summit, about 90 miles east of Sacramento.
Although this year's wet season started out great with a strong December, there has been even less rain this January—typically the wettest month—than there was last year.
There's a lot more than grapes that go into that bottle there is a lot of cool science and technology and it's all happening here in Sacramento.
Temperatures are in the 50s in the Sacramento area this morning. The cloud cover, although not producing any precipitation, has kept temperatures warmer overnight.
They say the dams would decrease the amount of water released from upstream reservoirs to keep saltwater from creeping inland from the San Francisco Bay, contaminating the Delta.
In a normal year, Sacramento gets about 4 inches of rain a month. Last January saw .20 inches, and so far there has only been .01 inch, and not much on the horizon.
Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy are publicly blaming each other over who derailed congressional efforts last year to pass a drought relief bill for California.
The drought has been one of the bigger challenges for the family in the fields in recent years. Lately though, the concern has been temperatures, and how relatively warm they've been at night.
Traffic is understandably moving a little slower this morning and drivers make their way to work through the dense fog.
It's called Dropcountr, and it allows for quick access to personal water use info at any time. The city is offering the free program to the first 5,000 customers who sign up.
Steelhead trout are missing from the hatchery. Normally during the winter months, schoolkids feed them here, and in the nearby American River, fishermen hope to hook them.
The overall wind pattern remains light, allowing patchy fog to develop. The upper cloud cover is non-existent and a ridge of high pressure is developing and pushes to the north.
California's drought declaration has triggered only local limits such as restrictions on washing cars or watering lawns for most communities, but one Pacific Coast tourist town has seized it as an opportunity to build a long-desired desalination plant.
We ended 2014 with chilly temperatures in the 20s across the valley overnight. If you celebrated outdoors last night, you know just how cold it was in our area.
Bundled-up revelers planning to usher in 2015 along the Las Vegas Strip or watch flower-decorated floats in the Rose Parade in Southern California were dealing with near-freezing temperatures early Thursday after a blustery winter storm dumped show and ice across the West.
Temperatures in the valley will be around the freezing point, especially overnight. But the possibility of high winds will make it feel even colder.
The National Weather Service said a freeze watch will be in effect Friday night through Saturday morning in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley because temperatures are forecast to range between 28 degrees and 32 degrees for four to six hours.
It may not have snowed, but California kept it cooler on Christmas this year after a cold front swept in overnight bringing gusty winds that showered streets with palm fronds and other debris.
Fog was thick and more widespread on Tuesday than it was on Monday morning. Visibility was down to 1/4 of a mile in Sacramento and Marysville and 3/4 of a mile in Stockton and Modesto.
A natural coast rhythm around the winter soltices is bringing the year's highest tides to California shores.
A winter weather advisory continues until 10 tonight in the Sierra where the highest elevations could see 10 inches of snow.
We're looking forward to a wet early commute on Friday , and then we'll dry out the rest of the day.
California remains deep in a drought, but a steady string of wet weather that is expected to continue Wednesday is making it look and feel replenished.
City officials say they were informed by Anheuser-Busch about the impending closure on Thursday.
Time magazine named "the architects of AI" its 2025 Person of the Year on Thursday, calling out tech industry leaders behind the rise in artificial intelligence.
An investigation is underway after a deadly crash near Modesto early Thursday morning.
NHTSA said faulty software may cause Waymo vehicles to pass a stopped school bus even when its red lights are flashing or its stop arm is extended.
Getting trapped in quicksand is a corny peril of old movies and TV shows, but it really did happen to one unfortunate hiker in Arches National Park.
City officials say they were informed by Anheuser-Busch about the impending closure on Thursday.
Time magazine named "the architects of AI" its 2025 Person of the Year on Thursday, calling out tech industry leaders behind the rise in artificial intelligence.
The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation out of Uvalde, Texas, is inviting rival gangs in Stockton to gather on Friday for a peace summit and to ask for a ceasefire.
An investigation is underway after a deadly crash near Modesto early Thursday morning.
NHTSA said faulty software may cause Waymo vehicles to pass a stopped school bus even when its red lights are flashing or its stop arm is extended.
The rider of the electric unicycle was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries.
Sacramento police said the suspect was arrested by the California Highway Patrol in connection with a pursuit and firearm charges.
A man convicted of sexually assaulting a passenger on a Sacramento Regional Transit light rail train was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison, authorities said Monday.
Medical staff at the California International Marathon used a defibrillator to help a runner regain a pulse after she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest halfway through the race on Sunday.
Sacramento police are investigating a shooting that happened early Sunday morning near 8th and K streets.
The share of borrowers who are 30-plus days late on paying back their loans is now at 11%.
As more families in Northern California turn to charities for a helping hand this holiday season, the Salvation Army is facing one of its busiest years yet.
California's public health department said one person has died and several others have suffered severe liver damage due to eating toxic mushrooms that were foraged.
FIFA announced the match-ups and times for the six World Cup 2026 games that will be played at Levi's Stadium.
The Trump administration will start sending more water to California farmers in the state's crop-rich Central Valley.
Jeff Kent was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame on Sunday by the contemporary era committee, while steroids-tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were among seven players who fell short once again.
Caden Pinnick threw two of his five touchdown passes to Zach Jones, Jordan Fisher had 140 yards rushing, which included a 50-yard touchdown run, and UC Davis beat Rhode Island 47-20 in the second round of the FCS playoffs.
FIFA announced the match-ups and times for the six World Cup 2026 games that will be played at Levi's Stadium.
The 2026 Men's World Cup will be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
The Athletics are on track to open their new Las Vegas stadium on time, officials said Thursday.
On Wednesday, district attorneys and supporters gathered in Sacramento to talk about progress and the growing urgency for stable funding.
The Trump administration is adding another militarized zone to the southern U.S. border to support border security operations — this time in California, officials say.
Stockton City Council held its first scheduled session since the horrific tragic shooting. The community continues to face the grieving and aftermath of this tragedy.
A Sacramento farmer is sounding the alarm over just how bad his year has been.
President Trump said Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is "not AMERICA FIRST or MAGA" and also attacked "60 Minutes" and Paramount in a social media post.
A steady stretch of nonstop fog over the last couple of weeks isn't just dampening moods, it may be taking a toll on physical health as well.
California's public health department said one person has died and several others have suffered severe liver damage due to eating toxic mushrooms that were foraged.
The plan is to embed street medicine training directly into residency programs across multiple hospitals.
Consumers with the imported pans should throw them away due to the severe health risks posed by lead, the agency warns.
Ray Cathey is on a journey from silence to new sounds. Cathey's hearing took a pounding when he was an air rescue paramedic during the Vietnam War.
Finding the perfect dress isn't easy, but now, selling them could become a lot more challenging.
This weekend, Placer County is hosting its annual Sip Into Spring event, offering free or discounted tastings at more than 20 wineries along what's known as the Placer Wine Trail.
From fruits and veggies to car parts, economists project that businesses will pass along the cost of the tariffs to customers.
An economic blackout was underway Friday as activists nationwide encouraged people not to spend their money at large corporations, retailers and fast-food chains for 24 hours.
San Joaquin County's retail theft reporting app has only been around for six months and is already bringing a sense of calmness to local business owners.
President Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom have made several different claims about California gas prices. Here's what we found.
This year-long investigation provides an unprecedented look at California's one-party supermajority legislature through the eyes of grieving parents who discover how California lawmakers kill popular bills by not voting.
This year-long investigation by CBS News California investigative correspondent Julie Watts examines the many components of California's new tougher-on-crime law.
A Natomas mother demanded that her daughter be exhumed and cremated after a Sacramento cemetery moved her grave without telling the family.
The California Highway Patrol captain accused of workers' compensation fraud was the commander in charge of the fatal Mahaney Park shootout in Roseville, three officers who worked under him at the time of the shootout said.
CBS13 and the Call Kurtis consumer investigative team devised an idea on how to lower what consumers owe on their credit cards -- and it begins with a simple phone call.
No one wants to think about death. However, it's important to plan on what happens to your digital assets after you die.
After spending $18,000 on waterproof laminate floors, a Natomas couple spotted damage after the first cleaning.
More than a year after Hai Pham canceled the trial membership, he kept getting charged every month for it.
A Natomas mother demanded that her daughter be exhumed and cremated after a Sacramento cemetery moved her grave without telling the family.
More than two dozen structures were destroyed in a wildfire in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
Clean-up has started in Chinese Camp after the TCU September Lightning Complex Fire ripped through the Gold Rush town earlier this month.
The fires burning in Calaveras and Tuolumne County caused air quality officials to issue a smoke advisory, warning people that the air quality may be unhealthy for sensitive groups.
The TCU Lightning Complex fires have burned nearly 14,000 acres in Central California, but in a Saturday update, Cal Fire said containment was at 42%.
A vegetation fire near El Dorado Hills broke out on Labor Day, quickly growing in size and prompting evacuations, officials said.
A Sacramento County dog picked up thousands of miles from home after he went missing five years ago was reunited with his family on Wednesday.
What started as a suspicious circumstances call for Rancho Cordova police ended with a newborn surprise.
A once-empty lot behind Church of the Cross in north Modesto now hosts a thriving community garden with more than 140 plots and growers from across the globe.
A Sacramento-area middle school history and English teacher is in the running to win big as America's Favorite Teacher, a title her students think she is more than worthy of being awarded.
Junior Romello Bruhn of Woodland Christian High School is closer than ever to scoring 3,000 career points, something only 13 high school athletes have accomplished in California state history.
Find out what kind of weather we're expecting as we end the week.
A cheerleading program in Marysville is taking off. For the first time, every single one of its teams reached the qualifying percentage to make it to the JAMZ National Competition next year.
It's been more than a week since a shooting left four people dead and community members gathers to support each other.
One person died after a home caught fire late Tuesday night in Elk Grove, firefighters say.
California leaders say the need has never been greater and they're asking on residents to show up every way they can.