Californians no longer know which climate to devote themselves to. For the first time in years, more than half of the state is out of drought, thanks to bad weather that has accumulated since January in the Golden State. But residents are now being hit with record rainfall and condensed rain and snow “in places where you don’t usually see them”notes climatologist Daniel Swain, of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
According to the latest survey from the US Drought Monitor site, from the University of Nebraska, which publishes maps every Thursday, 17% of the territory of California is now completely out of drought, especially in the Sierra Nevada and along the coast. Pacific; 34% are classified in good condition “abnormal aridity”, a category prelude to the official denomination of drought; Only 24% remain in severe drought conditions.
In mid-December 2022, the entire state was in drought conditions, 84% of which were severe to exceptional. After three years of record aridity, it is “a stunning improvement”, titled the San Francisco Chronicle.
In addition to the nine “atmospheric rivers” – bands of warm, moisture-saturated air – that poured over the state in January, rain and snow have been pouring in since February 22.
Epic snowfall has continued for several weeks, almost without respite, on the Lake Tahoe region, 300 km east of San Francisco, where the trenches dug by the inhabitants to circulate between the houses reach up to 2 .50m high. Access roads, including the busy highway leading to Nevada, were closed for several hours on February 28.
A 200 m wide and 25 m thick avalanche damaged a three-storey building in Olympic Valley. On the same day, a record dating back to 1960 was broken in Yosemite National Park: 1.01 m of fresh snow. This one reached the first floor of the lodge which usually welcomes skiers. The park has closed for an indefinite period.
Mobilization of the National Guard
In Southern California, what began as a welcome respite from the drought and a festive opportunity to take spectacular photos and show children the snow has turned into a nightmare for some.
In the San Bernardino Mountains, 130 km east of Los Angeles, several thousand residents, unable to clear their entrances, let alone drive, have been stuck in their homes for several days. Roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow. On Wednesday, escorts organized by the California Department of Transportation had to be canceled. Some residents of the locality of Crestline (1,400 m above sea level) were beginning to lack food and medicine. The region saw 1.95m of snowfall in a week. The local communities, which do not have machines of sufficient size, no longer know what to do with the snow.
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