Environment

California Drought

California is experiencing the worst drought in its history, and the effects are being felt nationwide. Thus water issues have taken center stage in much of our reporting and the nation's.As the New York Times says, "Water has long been a precious resource in California, the subject of battles pitting farmer against city-dweller and northern communities against southern ones; books and movies have been made about its scarcity and plunder. Water is central to the state’s identity and economy, and a symbol of how wealth and ingenuity have tamed nature ..."As we continue through a fourth year of extreme drought conditions, you'll find all of our reporting on the related issues (and that of NPR and other member stations) in this centralized place.

Continuing El Niño Conditions May Ease CA Drought

North State Public Radio

Published May 15, 2015 at 10:12 AM PDT

Finally some potentially hopeful news for California water supplies. The latest long-range forecast sees El Niño conditions continuing through the upcoming rainy season, which could translate into higher rain and snowfall for California.

Climatologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say there’s an 80 percent chance El Niño will continue through at least next February. That may significantly ease drought conditions in California and across the West.

The El Niño phenomenon is characterized by unusually warm pools of water in the Pacific and a weakening of trade winds. While El Niño causes weather changes across the globe, only strong El Niños are associated with unusually wet winters in California.

Though the scientific consensus says El Niño will continue, it is unclear if it will be strong enough to influence our regional weather.