Long way to go before drought over in California

With the rain and snow fall that occurred in California last week (January 4 - 8, 2016), I was wondering how these events impacted California's water supply.

I did not have to long to wait for an answer. Among the National Weather Service websites that I monitor is the California-Nevada River Forecast Center (NWSCNRFC). The NWSCNRFC has a facebook and a twitter page.  I was away from my computer for about 24 hours. Just last night I saw that the NWSCNRFC had posted a two-part video reporting on the impact of the recent rain and snow on California's water supply. I will share these videos at the end of this article (uploaded on January 10, 2015).

Before you watch the videos, I want to point out to you that these video reports from the NWSCNRFC are only good for the period from January 10 - 15, 2016. Specifically, you will see at the beginning of each video that the NWSCNRFC says that the videos should not be used after January 15, 2016.

I share these videos with you because of what I learned from these videos. That is, I expect that many of you, especially those of you who are living in the United States, are aware of the prolonged drought that has affected California and environs. While inconveniencing many, I am sure that many Californians welcomed last weeks rain and snowfall. As welcome as these precipitation events may have been, even if the whole State sees above normal rainfall this year, California has a long way to go before the drought can be declared over.

As you will see when you watch the videos (they are short), you will hear Alan Haynes of the NWSCNRFC say that northern California needs two years of above average precipitation and souther California needs three years of above average precipitation before the drought could be declared over.


Direct link to video from NWSCNRFC (part 1)


Direct link to video from NWSCNRFC (part 2)