"Thanks to three consecutive wet years, Marin's reservoirs are above average levels headed into a brewing La Nina winter, officials said. Last month, federal forecasters said La Nina has arrived and is expected to continue through the winter. The phenomenon, which happens when Pacific Ocean waters off South America are cooler than normal, has been thought to signal a drier season, but experts say the impact in Northern California is less severe and maybe even inconsequential compared to southern parts of the state."
"We are observing La Nina conditions, but at this point it's quite uncertain what that means for us, Lucy Croy, water resources manager at the Marin Municipal Water District, said Tuesday while providing a water supply outlook to the district board. It could mean wet, it could mean slightly dry, but we'll hopefully get a few atmospheric rivers to keep things wet. Atmospheric rivers are storms that drag narrow, concentrated bands of rain from the tropics."
Three consecutive wet winters replenished Marin's reservoirs and left storage above average heading into a developing La Nina winter. Federal forecasters report La Nina has arrived and is expected to continue through the winter. La Nina occurs when Pacific Ocean waters off South America are cooler than normal and often signals drier conditions, though Northern California impacts can be less severe than in southern areas. Atmospheric rivers produced concentrated tropical rainfall that delivered 77, 62 and 54.7 inches in recent seasons and helped extract the county from drought. As of Nov. 1, storage exceeded 65,000 acre-feet, about 80% of capacity and 123% of average.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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