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.
