The water in California's mountain snowpack is just shy of average as spring begins, with more snow coming as a winter storm aims for the Sierra Nevada. The statewide snowpack measured 90% of average just ahead of the anticipated April 1 peak. Experts say California also can count on stored water after two years of ample rain and snow. State data shows nearly all state reservoirs above their historic capacity. But Southern California has received far less precipitation than usual, and the U.S. Drought Monitor says most of the southern region is once again in moderate to extreme drought.
The U.N. weather agency is reporting that 2023 was the driest year in more than three decades for the world's rivers, as the record-hot year underpinned the drying up of water flows and contributed to prolonged droughts in many places. The World Meteorological Organization also says glaciers that feed rivers in many countries suffered the largest loss of mass in the last five decades. WMO warned that ice melt can threaten long-term water security for millions of people globally. Its secretary-general says water is the "canary in the coalmine" for climate change — a distress signal for a warming planet.
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and JULIE WALKER Associated Press
Tropical Storm Hone blasted the Big Island with rain and is swirling past Hawaii's main islands. Hone was a hurricane at its peak but was back to a tropical storm on Monday with top sustained winds of 50mph. Tropical Storm Hector gained strength in the eastern Pacific, but no coastal watches or warnings were in effect as it was still far out at sea. And, Hurricane Gilma was still far east of Hawaii but gained a bit of strength on Monday morning. Gilma is expected to remain a hurricane through Tuesday, but is forecast to weaken considerably before it reaches the islands.
By MELINA WALLING and JOHN ANTCZAK Associated Press
Updated
California's largest wildfire so far this year has been significantly surrounded after blackening a swath of hilly grasslands between San Francisco Bay and the Central Valley. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the Corral Fire is 75% contained Monday after scorching more than 22 square miles. One home was destroyed and two firefighters were injured. The wind-driven fire erupted Saturday afternoon and at one point thousands of people were under evacuation orders. The progress against the fire comes just as California is about to experience a major heat wave from Tuesday through Thursday.
Atmospheric rivers pounding California since late last year have coated mountains with a full winter's worth of snow and begun raising reservoir levels but experts say it will take much more to precipitation to reverse the effects of years of drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor's weekly update Thursday shows that "extreme" drought has been virtually eliminated. Two weeks ago extreme drought covered 35% of California. The Drought Monitor characterizes the improvement as a significant reduction in drought intensity but cautions that large parts of the state still have moisture deficits. Most of the state is now in the "severe" or "moderate" categories of drought.
America's onslaught of mega costly weather disasters remains stuck in high gear. Federal climate scientists on Tuesday say that 2022 had 18 climate extremes that caused at least $1 billion in damage, costing more than $165 billion in damage. This is part of a big jump in US billion dollar disasters that has been going on since 2016. Meteorologists say 2022 was a wild year even though it wasn't too unusually hot for the United States. It was merely the 18th-warmest on record for the US. Scientists say climate change is supercharging weather extremes.
