Pineapple Express To Hammer California Again
After massive storms of rain and wind, driven by atmospheric rivers, ended a week ago, there may have been some hope of relief. Residents on the Pacific Coast of California won’t be so fortunate. These atmospheric rivers, aka The Pineapple Express, are about to return with drenching rains.
Western Drought: Lake Mead Drying Up
Flood News: Africa Trouble
According to The New York Times, “Flood watches were in effect for millions of people, mostly in California, through Wednesday as the possibility of thunderstorms, strong winds and rains continued to threaten its central and southern coasts.” Several experts pointed out that soil is so wet that more precipitation will cause dangerous flooding.
The estimates of the cost of California’s floods over the last year vary widely. Moody’s put on a price tag of $5 billion to $7 billion. Whatever the estimates are, they are about to rise again.
New NOAA forecasts, couched in percentages, show that the power of California storms may drop. If so, will what is known as the West’s 1,200-year drought start to worsen again? There had been hope that several years of heavy rain would refill Lake Mead and increase the volume of the Colorado, which, in turn, would lessen the California water shortage. This week, the drought problem seems less of a challenge. Next week that could change.
