California is dry, bad news for fire, water

L. Mantle, J. Margolis, AirTalk (SCPR, 4/2/21); CC Liu, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

California's dry weather is bad news for wildfires and water supply

Dam water (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty)*

It's April, which means that California's rainy season has officially ended.

Because we're not likely to see much more precipitation until next winter, it's the perfect opportunity to reflect on where California is in terms of water throughout the state and what the rest of the year will be like.

In short: it's bad. California is now officially entering its second year of worsening drought conditions after a paltry showing of rain and snow back in 2020. That left the state in a critically dry position in the fall, with 84% of the state experiencing some level of drought.

Because of the disappointing showing of rain over the past four months, that's now spread to 91% of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

 

Wildfires are coming, manmade and natural

The credit for any sort of moisture this rainy season belongs to only a few storms, most notably the late January atmospheric river, which was responsible for 50% of this year's all-important snowpack, another example of how crucial the storm systems are here.

That said, it wasn't enough to get us to "normal." And without a miracle March to save California, it is left with a snowpack across the Sierra that's only 61% of average for April Fool's Day, April 1.

That is of concern because a significant portion of water for landscapes and reservoirs comes from the snowpack, particularly through the dry months.

Speaking of a water storage, the sustained dry weather is starting to take a toll on reservoirs, which had recovered following the last drought.

AirTalk talks with KPCC/LAist.com reporter Jacob Margolis to talk about the issue. Read the full LAist story. More + AUDIO

• Call in number: (866) 893-5722
• *A sign calls for dam water to help the agricultural communities of the San Joaquin Valley on the outskirts of Lemoore, California on March 31, 2021 (Frederic J. Brown/AFP).

GUEST: Jacob Margolis, KPCC/LAist science reporter, his latest story is “California's dry weather is bad news for wildfires and water supply,” who tweets @JacobMargolis