#san-joaquin-valley

#san-joaquin-valley

California is bracing for monumental weather conditions this week, with heavy rain, strong winds, snow and choppy surf expected thanks to a set of weather events known as a "bomb cyclone" and a series of "atmospheric rivers."Flood advisories are in effect for most of Northern and Central California.

As California braced for yet another round of winter storms Wednesday, state water officials announced that they were again boosting supplies for water agencies that serve 27 million residents.The Department of Water Resources said it now expects to deliver 35% of requested water supplies - up from the 30% announced last month - via the State Water Project.

A gazillion gallons of stormwater have been rampaging down rivers into the sea.But that uncaptured bounty hasn't been "wasted.""Wasted water" being dumped in the ocean is an old cliché that resurfaces whenever there's a big storm in this weather-eccentric state - or during the inevitable dry periods when crops are thirsty and homeowners are told to shut off their lawn sprinklers.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

California's remarkably wet winter may be several weeks behind us, but flooding remains a significant threat as the majority of the state's massive snowpack has yet to melt, and more snow is forecast for this week."This melt really is still just getting started," said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UCLA.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of one of the worst plane crashes in California history.A flight heading from Oakland to the Mexican border on Jan. 28, 1948 crashed into a canyon near the Central Valley town of Coalinga, killing the 32 people on board.The passengers were 28 Mexican braceros - workers brought to the U.S. through a World War II labor program.

In California's agricultural industry, the most productive in the nation (PDF) with about $50 billion in annual revenue, almost 85% of crop workers were born in Mexico.Roughly half don't have legal authorization to work, according to estimates by the U.S. Department of Labor.As migration flows from Mexico slowed down in the mid-2000s, the age distribution of California agricultural workers shifted, with farmworkers age 55 to 64 increasing by 64% over the last decade, the UC Merced analysis found.

After more than two months of atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclones, amid a supersized Sierra snowcap, and with more precipitation forecast for the rest of the month, isn't California's drought over?The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that yes, 17% of California is now out of drought.Most of the rest of the state is quite wet as well, although it remains in some level of "drought" as the term is defined by the Drought Monitor.

The San Francisco Standard has some sweet news about Zeledon's Bakery on Wheels, a San Jose-based mobile bakery that achieved viral status in 2022 thanks to a series of TikToks spotlighting the truck and its colorful display of pan dulce.The uncle-and-nephew team behind the panaderia on wheels, Juan Carlos Soto and Ernesto Botello, say after videos of the business hit TikTok, they gained national attention via outlets including the Today Show.

The entire town of Montecito has been evacuated.The order comes exactly five years to the day after a deadly mudslide destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes there after rain washed out a wildfire burn scar.Part of Santa Barbara and the nearby communities of Carpenteria and Summerland were also ordered to evacuate yesterday.Reporter: Dan Brekke, KQED
Where Might California See Budget Cuts This Year?

On Wednesday in Sacramento, lawmakers will hold a hearing on legislation aimed at creating buffer zones between homes and huge warehouses and logistic centers where companies, like Amazon, store and distribute mountains of goods that a lot of us might order online.This is the latest development in an ongoing debate over warehouses and the health threats they might pose to people who live near them.

If you dream of owning an electric vehicle but can't afford one, you're not alone.Zero-emission car sales in California showed an encouraging jump last year, yet most options remain unaffordable for most people.The average cost is over $47,000, with popular high-end cars like Tesla's Model 3 or the GMC Sierra truck seen in SuperBowl ads north of $100,000.

Soggy Southern California should expect a new storm moving in next week.The forecast calls for rain likely Tuesday and Wednesday, with a chance of showers in some areas Monday.The region should expect a "long period of steady light to moderate rain" totaling 1 to 3 inches, said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Days after the latest heavy storm passed through, rising waters are continuing to spur evacuation orders and flood warnings across Central California - and still more rain is forecast for early next week.In Porterville, residents in two areas along the swollen Tule River have been ordered to evacuate, and the stretch of river between them spanning about 5 miles is under an evacuation warning.

California's extremely wet winter is turning into a wet spring.Yet another atmospheric river will hit the state Tuesday and Wednesday, with another likely after that.The sheer amount of rain, and the snowmelt it could bring, are bringing alarms about more flooding this week.Here is a breakdown of what you need to know:
What are officials worried about?