Monday October 9, 2023
KVPR —
Water leaders across California are beginning to prepare for another wet winter, as a new water year got underway this week.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the state’s reservoirs are the fullest they’ve been at the start of a water year in 40 years. And, with an El Niño weather pattern looking more and more likely, so is the possibility for a lot of rain in the months ahead.
But with months to go before winter rains begin in earnest, it’s unclear how strong El Niño will be – and how much it will disrupt seasonal temperatures, winds, and other weather patterns.
There are “a lot of pieces in play for some new extremes we haven’t seen in decades,” explained state climatologist Michael Anderson during a press briefing this week.
What is certain is that water leaders are preparing now for potential flooding.