SAN FRANCISCO — California, which has endured its worst wildfire season in history, is bracing for the most dangerous winds of the year, a forecast that prompted the … Traditionally October and November are the worst months for fires, but already this year California has seen more than 8,600 wildfires that have scorched a record 6,400 square miles (16,576 square kilometers) and destroyed about 9,200 homes, businesses and other structures. This will be the fifth time PG&E has cut power to customers this year and by far the largest shutdown. Facts about California Drought 9: the 2014 drought in California. A fire weather watch is in effect for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties from late Sunday through Tuesday. The most populated state in the country is facing what may be its worst drought in a century of record-keeping. “Given that vegetation is now at or near record dryness levels — much as it was prior to the North Bay firestorm in October 2017 — this is a very concerning forecast,” Daniel Swain, climate scientist with UCLA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, wrote in a blog post. Meanwhile, 67% of California is now classified as being in at least “moderate drought” by the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly report. Runoff and precipitation conditions for California’s six historical droughts. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said the outages would start in far Northern California and ultimately could affect 386,000 customers in 38 counties, with many of the shutoffs concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thank you! Due to the presence of winter storm which gave the area enough rainfall, it was … Gross state product data: US Bureau of Economic Analysis. Streams and rivers were so low that fish couldn't get to their spawninggrounds, and survival rates of any eggs that were laid were expected to be low. Southern California is faring better, with rainfall in Los Angeles at 168% of normal for early January and San Diego at 212%. “The generators are are still set up out there, so I’m hoping they’re going to keep our power up,” Collins said. Temperature: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. California Drought. There have been 31 deaths. Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Explain to students that drought not only impacts the land and its resources, but has economic consequences as well. Officials also were encouraging people to have their cellphones fully charged or, if they have a landline, to connect an older model phone that doesn’t depend on electricity. Scientists say climate change has made California much drier, meaning trees and other plants are more flammable. “We’ve already been devastated so much by these fires. Except for 2015 (a severe drought year), the figure reports estimates for normal rainfall years. She said losing power is becoming a common occurrence, and people are having to live without electricity for days at time. California has been in a major drought. “I would ask all of the people who live in high-impact areas mimic us and plan ahead of time and do the planning with their neighbors, with their families and within their own households so that if they are asked to evacuate they’re ready and not just then starting to figure it out,” Oakland Assistant Fire Chief Robert Lipp said. Some of the largest and deadliest fires in recent years were started by utility equipment being damaged by high winds, so PG&E has been aggressive about pre-emptively cutting power when fire conditions are most dangerous. At a Saturday night briefing, utility officials said high winds were expected to arrive midday Sunday and reach 40 to 60 mph (64 to 97 kph) with higher gusts in the mountains. Droughts are a recurring feature of California’s climate, and the four-year period between fall 2011 and fall 2015 was the driest since record keeping began in 1895. Facts about California Drought 10: Extreme Drought severity. The projected shutoffs included 19,000 customers in parts of Butte County, where in November 2018 a blaze ignited by PG&E equipment destroyed much of the town of Paradise and killed 85 people, the most in state history. Copyright 2020 Associated Press. The California Drought The California Drought The record lows in rainfall and highs in temperature California experienced between 2012 to 2016 plunged it into a severe drought, which then hurt its economy, especially the agriculture industry. Winds that strong can topple trees and send branches into power lines. USGS science supports water managers in preparing for possible future drought by providing information that takes into account long-term hydrologic, climatic, and environmental changes. However, because it was just a two-year drought, the water supply impacts were not as severe as those associated with the longer duration droughts because shorter droughts can be partially mitigated by surface and groundwater storage. SOURCE: Precipitation: Western Regional Climate Center. The drought has been particularly hard on the agricultural sector. The most severe drought in the history of California was in 2014. USGS science supports water managers in preparing for possible future drought by providing information that takes into account long-term hydrologic, climatic, and environmental changes. “We obviously recognize that power outages present hardships. Temperature data: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Precipitation and lake levels in California are quite variable, and very wet or very dry years occur regularly—look at all the peaks and valleys in figures 3 and 4! Your email address will not be published. Supported with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the US Environmental Protection Agency, Donate Now What If California’s Drought Continues? Cities throughout the region planned to open emergency operations centers and add police officers and firefighters to patrol high-risk areas. These studies support successful planning and science-based decision-making by water managers who must address complex issues and competing interests in times of drought. The most intense period of drought occurred the week of July 29, 2014 where D4 affected 58.41% of California land. The USGS closely monitors the effects of drought through data collection and research. By Olga R. Rodriguez and Christopher Weber |. Facts about California Drought 10: Extreme Drought severity. On January 20, the governor of California declared a state of emergency, urging everyone to begin conserving water. NOTE: Averages are calculated for 1981–2000. In neighboring Oakland, where a blaze in the city’s hills in October 1991 killed 25 people, at least 10 parks will close Sunday and Monday. The most severe drought both in terms of precipitation and runoff was the drought of 1976-77. How did the 2011-2017 drought fit within California’s history? % of people found this article valuable. High temperatures worsened its effects, with 2014 and 2015 being the two hottest years in the state’s recorded history. It said the conditions could equal those during devastating fires in the Bay Area’s wine country in 2017 and last year’s Kincade Fire that burned a large swath of Sonoma County. Inland areas tend to have higher per capita use because of higher temperatures and larger landscaped areas. This story map will address this question, as well as describe the evolution of the drought, its complex causes, and implications for the future. Many regions of the state accumulated less rainfall in 2013 than any other year on record. The California Water Science Center uses a network of more than 500 streamgages to collect real-time data on surface water at locations across the state. Relative humidity levels will plummet, and winds could top 55 mph (88 kph) in valleys, with gusts of 75 mph (120 kph) possible in mountain areas. At first 2014 drought was called Exceptional Drought. That’s the highest mid-October level since 2016. Because of their duration and severity in terms of both lack of rainfall and runoff, the 1928-34 drought, which lasted 7 years, and the 1987-92 drought, which lasted 6 years, are compared to the 2012-16 drought, which lasted 5 years, to assess similarities and differences. All rights reserved. Stafford L… Average statewide precipitation is 23.8 inches, and average temperature is 58.3°F. Understanding the impacts of drought can help mitigate drought-related issues and prepare for future dry periods. Lack of rainfall had caused the mouths of rivers to be blocked off by sand bars which further prevented fish from reaching their spawning grounds. Facts about California Drought 9: the 2014 drought in California. By continuing to use our site, you accept our revised Privacy Policy. Inland per capita use in 2015 was 168 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) and coastal use was 119 gpcd. Giving Circles SOURCE: Author calculations (1960–2010) using data from California Water Plan Update (California Department of Water Resources, various years) and urban water conservation reports from the State Water Resources Control Board (for 2015). In Berkeley, just east of San Francisco, officials recommended residents consider leaving the hills before Sunday afternoon, especially if they would have trouble getting out quickly during a fire. SAN FRANCISCO — California, which has endured its worst wildfire season in history, is bracing for the most dangerous winds of the year, a forecast that prompted the largest utility to announce plans to cut power Sunday to nearly 1 million people to guard against its equipment sparking new blazes. Discuss with students what they know about the word “drought” and what they think of when they hear or see the word. Using the Southern California, which enjoyed several days of cool temperatures and higher humidity, will see the return of warm, dry Santa Ana winds. But more than 6,000 firefighters remain committed to 19 blazes, including a dozen major incidents, according to state fire officials. Effects of the drought are being felt differently in urban and rural communities. Moderate drought has begun in Central California. The current California drought is the most severe in 1,200 years, according to historical information gleaned from tree rings. Sources: Drought impacts: E. Hanak et al. A northern storm track has meant little rain and snow. More 8,600 wildfires have scorched well over 6,400 square miles (16,576 square kilometers) and destroyed about 9,200 buildings in California this year. Droughts generate opportunities to improve water policies. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for many areas, meaning fire danger is extremely high. At first 2014 drought was called Exceptional Drought. In 2013 the total rainfall was less than 34% of what was expected. Please tell us what you liked about it. The Napa County town of 5,000 people has been affected by many of the power outages this year. Almost all of Northern California is in moderate to extreme drought. BEGINNING about 1,100 years ago, what is now California baked in two droughts, the first lasting 220 years and the second 140 years. However, the 2000 year reconstruction shows that the recent drought was historically epic. The August Complex fire, at No. They also show that the recent 2012-16 drought was, for most of Southern California, the driest or second-driest five-year drought in the long-term record dating back to the 1400s. Water quality degradation, surface and groundwater level declines, land subsidence - all are impacts of drought. The combination of high winds, very low humidity and a parched landscape has the region on edge. That’s why we try to make it as small as we can,” PG&E incident commander Mark Quinlan said, noting that the planned shutdown had been reduced from 466,000 customers. There were also droughts longer in duration: during the Medieval Warm Period (about 850 to 1300) there were 2 decades-long “megadroughts” covering the …

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