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In California water news today …
Dangerous storm to flood California, threatening lives and property before Christmas
“A strengthening storm off the West Coast will bring another atmospheric river, delivering heavy rain across much of California through Christmas Day, potentially causing life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Heavy rain will create a significant risk to lives and property in some areas. Feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada may not only close some roads but also leave people stranded. Multiple inches of rain will fall over a few hours across California’s mountainsides and urban areas. Those in the coastal regions of Southern California will receive multiple months’ worth of rain in a span of one to three days. “The downtown Los Angeles area is projected to receive 4-8 inches of rain through this week alone, which is two to three times the entire December historical average rainfall of 2.48 inches,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. … ” Read more from AccuWeather.
California storm is raising a rare threat: long-lasting tornado risk
“As officials warn of damaging winds, flooding rain and blizzard-like snow, California also may face another form of severe weather: tornadoes. A rare alignment of atmospheric conditions will set the stage for potential waterspouts and tornadoes along the California coast Tuesday night through Friday. That window for potential twisters is much longer than usual and, while risk is low for any specific place, meteorologists and climate scientists say it is possible that someplace will see a tornado. The Central Valley also is at risk of funnel clouds and tornadoes Wednesday. This is “the most favorable setup for more than a couple waterspouts/brief tornadoes than I’ve seen in quite some time in this part of the world,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
SEE ALSO:
- Atmospheric rivers to batter California through new year. Here’s why, from the Desert Sun
- California travel forecast: Where storm impacts will be most hazardous on Christmas Eve, from the San Francisco Chronicle
California turns winter season rain into future water supply
“As California enters the upcoming season of winter rains, the Newsom administration and local agencies are working to collect as much of that stormwater as possible for future use. California’s winter rain season is a critical time of year when water managers need to capture, move, and store as much water as possible for our dry summer months and potential future drought conditions. Following three weeks of dry conditions in most of California, reservoirs have room to assist flood managers. At Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s largest reservoir, storage is at 54 percent capacity, with plenty of available space in the reservoir to manage high inflows and capture storm runoff for future water supply. … ” Read more from Governor Newsom.
Lake Oroville rises 23 feet in 3 days
“Lake Oroville surpassed 2 million acre feet of water around 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to DWR’s data exchange center, rising more than 23 feet in a three day period. From Dec. 1 to Dec. 19, the lake level stayed between 765 and 766 feet elevation, but with recent storms it rose from 767 feet on Dec. 20 to 791 feet Tuesday. On Tuesday, the lake was at around 58% capacity with “plenty of available space” to capture runoff from incoming storms, according to DWR Public Information Officer Raquel Borrayo. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record (gift article).
In regional water news and commentary today …
SIERRA NEVADA
Lake Tahoe under an avalanche watch until Thursday morning
“The NWS Reno NV reported an avalanche watch at 8:52 a.m. on Wednesday in effect until Thursday at 9 a.m. for Lake Tahoe. The NWS says to anticipate, “HIGH avalanche danger could occur in the backcountry on Thursday and Thursday night.” “A powerful storm with rapidly accumulating snowfall and strong winds may cause widespread avalanche activity in the mountains. Large avalanches capable of burying or injuring people could occur in backcountry areas,” describes the NWS. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Groups file lawsuit against Sacramento County’s approval of controversial Coyote Creek Solar Project
“On Dec. 19, two environmental organizations, the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) and the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS), filed a lawsuit against the County of Sacramento for its recent approval of the Coyote Creek Agrivoltaic Ranch (CCAR) project in the rolling hills and grazing land of the county east of Rancho Cordova. The groups cited “numerous deficiencies” in the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), including failure to sufficiently address the potential impacts to two streams flowing into Deer Creek, a tributary of the Cosumnes River, the last Sierra Nevada watershed river without a major storage dam on it. They also pointed to the loss of 3,493 trees in the project incurred by “industrial-level repurposing” of the land. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Mussels invade Friant Kern Canal
“It is that time of the year when maintenance staff along the 150-mile Friant Kern Canal “dewater” the key conveyance canal for repairs. This year water contractors who depend on the flows have another thing to worry about besides land subsidence along the route reducing capacity. Now it’s an attack from invasive water snatchers.Friant Water Authority (FWA) staff are currently assessing canal infrastructure for the presence of adult and juvenile golden mussels, which Friant Water Authority staff have confirmed are present in the canal, says a report posted online in the past week.Golden mussels are an invasive species that has recently shown up in California water system facilities and presumably migrated into the FKC during reverse flow operations that convey water from the California Aqueduct and Cross Valley Canal into the lower reaches of the FKC, says a staff report. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
‘A flood on steroids’: Atmospheric river storms Southern California, threatens debris flow
“A dangerous atmospheric river is poised to deliver “excessive rainfall” across Southern California, raising fears that the rain could unleash a threat that has been lingering in the burn scars of wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles communities in recent years. Called debris flows, these fast-moving slurries of floodwater and sediment can hurtle down slopes carrying cars, trees and even boulders with them. They’re like “a flood on steroids,” said Jason Kean, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s landslide hazards program. “It’s really hard to stop these things. The best thing to do is get out of the way.” … ” Continue reading from Cal Matters.
Major storm slams in Southern California, flash flood warnings issued
“A major atmospheric-river storm walloping the state with heavy rains, strong winds and major snow has landed in Southern California, bringing what forecasters say is likely to become the region’s worst Christmas storm in recent memory. A flash flood warning was issued for several areas including the Altadena burn zone. Showers began across Southern California early Wednesday and expected to continue for several days. “This is a long-duration event, so we’re going to be having the cumulative effects of rain,” said Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office. He said there was a high potential for widespread, life-threatening flooding as well as dangerous rock and mudslides, among other risks. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
San Clemente’s long struggle to save its disappearing coast
“It’s all hands on deck in San Clemente as city officials, residents and coastal organizations scramble to save the Spanish Village by the Sea from sinking into the waves. City officials have been working to find partnerships, secure funding and acquire permits needed to add the millions of cubic yards necessary to restore the South Orange County town’s iconic coastline. At the same time, local residents are working to gather enough signatures needed to get a measure on the 2026 ballot that would establish a 1% sales tax increase to fund projects aimed at beach restoration and wildfire prevention. Meanwhile, county officials are eyeing mid- to long-term solutions to protect the train tracks that run along San Clemente’s coastline, as academics at UC Irvine have found signs that the beaches are showing some signs of recovery through ongoing replenishment efforts. … ” Read more from the Voice of OC.
San Bernardino County eyes Joshua Tree for sewer system
“Public works staff will do preliminary work on forming a sewer district in downtown Joshua Tree using spending approved by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Dec. 16. The supervisors approved spending $6.3 million on a Joshua Tree sewer project. County staff will now look into forming a sewer district, buying a site, planning and designing the system, getting permits and completing an environmental assessment. Two Joshua Tree residents questioned the move at last week’s meeting. “There is nobody in the existing downtown business community who’s advocating for that and to me this really sounds like an opportunity for box retail to set a footprint in downtown Joshua Tree,” said Seth Zaharias, owner of Cliffhanger Guides. … ” Read more from the Hi-Desert Star.
Along the Colorado River …
The Colorado River is on the verge of crisis. No one has a solution.
“When Carly Jerla left her home in the Rocky Mountains to attend the annual conference of the most bitterly contested river in the American West, the signs around her were grim: December temperatures in the 60s, meager snowpack and projections of below-average runoff to sustain the Colorado River.“The way things are setting up isn’t looking good,” Jerla, one of the Bureau of Reclamation’s top experts on the Colorado River, told the conference this week, adding that the region could be facing a dry stretch “that could really put the system into an untenable position.” … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
Stalemate deepens as Colorado River states face water crisis
“Negotiations over how to stabilize the shrinking Colorado River are so deadlocked that one of the seven state officials involved now says he doesn’t think it’s possible to get a 20-year agreement to rewrite the river’s operating rules. They’re so deadlocked that the acting U.S. Bureau of Reclamation chief, Commissioner Scott Cameron, is now ready to discuss the possibility of dictating a top-down fix for the river’s chronic overuse of water — even though he makes it clear he doesn’t like the idea one bit. And they’re so deadlocked that three days of panel discussions, keynote speeches and general networking at the annual Colorado River Water Association conference last week in Las Vegas failed to bring to the public’s attention any new ideas for resolving the long north-south split over who should make the cuts in water use needed to balance the river’s supply with people’s demand for water. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun.
Lakes Powell And Mead are more than two-thirds empty
“Lakes Powell and Mead on the Colorado River are less than two-thirds full, leaving scientists, economists, and water law experts fearful that the reservoirs could soon be useless. Compounding the water flow problems created by diversions and climate-change impacts are disagreements between the Upper and Lower basin states on how best to manage a dwindling, invaluable, resource. “Both the water supply and institutional systems are failing; many of the environmental systems failed years ago, with others just hanging on desperately,” reads the executive summary of the inaugural Colorado River Insights, 2025 Dancing With Deadpool report. “Another year or two of low inflows and we will completely blow through the cushions provided by reservoir storage and the 20-year truce known as the Interim Guidelines, entering a world where physically moving water downstream becomes limited both by hydrology and engineering…” Read more from the National Parks Traveler.
