February 22, 2017

  • Stormy Weather

    First, as an update to my last post, Oroville Dam is still intact, and the spillways are still damaged.  The lake has been lowered by using the main spillway as much as they dared -- the secondary spillway is no longer being used, and they have been working feverishly to repair the damage so it could be used again if necessary.  They are waiting until after this weekend's storm (which began today) to stop the flow on the main spillway enough to assess the damage.  Meantime,  today's storm has caused creeks to overflow, seriously flooding the city of San Jose, south of San Francisco.

    Southern California received more rain last weekend. causing major flooding in the coastal southern half of the state.  It was also extremely windy, and there were many trees downed throughout the area.  About two blocks from my home, there was a whole row of 35-year-old pine trees -- it seems every other tree was blown over!  It's not safe to stop and take shots of the trees, but they were big ones, falling over a main road.  I stayed indoors for 3 days -- by the time I saw the trees, they had been trimmed away from the road and the sidewalk, and people had taken some of the movable pieces, apparently for firewood.  I was able to get a couple of shots of damage nearby -- across the road from my home are a couple of visitor parking spaces, marked by a sign -- well, they were marked by a sign:

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    And in a nearby strip mall, there is/was a realtor's sign advertising the availability of retail space.

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    Today was the first dry day we've had for several weeks, and the sun was actually shining.  We expect one more day of similar weather, then it will cloud over, and we will have another storm this coming weekend.  Hopefully the next storm will not be as strong as last week's, in which we received about 4 inches of rain in 3 days!

    And that leads to another update -- on Lake Cachuma!   As of Monday, the lake had risen 34 feet from it's level measured on 2/16 (in 4 days!)  It  measured 41% of capacity as of Monday, compared to 8% ini September and October!  Unless w have another similar storm, they are projecting that by the end of the rainy seasoon the lake could be at 50% of capacity.   What a difference a day makes!

Comments (14)

  • I've been wondering how you were doing. I guess when it started raining it poured!

    • Yesterday and today are the first truly sunny days we've had this year! Last weekend was brutal -- lots of rain and wind -- and we are headed for more rain over the weekend! We were expecting el nino rains last winter -- it seems they were delayed to this year!

  • I am so glad lake levels are higher. Just praying that the next storms will be weaker, and that people and property will be safe, (especially people.)

    • If Lake Cachuma spills, the water goes down the river, which is now just full of willows. The city of Santa Barbara is very glad to see the additional water in the lake, though they are wisely continuing with the desal plant!

  • thankful you are safe and dry. Sounds like so much water in such a short time. Severe thunderstorms are expected here tomorrow ~ I pray they are less severe than predicted ~

    • Knowing there was a bad storm coming, I had plenty of food in the house to get me through -- I'll do that again this week, although I don't think this week's storm is expected to be as bad. I simply holed up and stayed at home -- windows closed, doors closed, etc. for 3 days! I hope your thunderstorms aren't too severe!

  • Take care and stay safe. I am glad that you are finally getting rain, but wish it was not so much in such a short time.

    • If it really rains again, I'll plan to stay home. Last week's storm was stronger than any I can remember, so hopefully it's not likely to happen again!

  • I guess there were enough xangans praying to turn the tide and get you some precipitation. I guess we went overboard! It is such good news that the lake level is rising but my happiness is tempered by the reports of the damage....

    • Thanks, Val! I think a lot of the damage came from the fact that we were in drought so long, and last year's el nino rains didn't happen, that people didn't prepare properly. Too, last week's storm was the strongest we've had for many, many years, if ever, and it just wasn't expected. It's been a real wake-up call for those in charge, and repairs and reinforcements will be made. I do feel sorry for the people in San Jose, where the creek that overflowed runs right through downtown. Hopefully we'll avoid more flooding of populated areas like that! And I'm looking forward to my next trip to Santa Barbara, probably in April, to see the lake!

  • @slmret: The storms shifted south of us and we only got a bit of rain ~ so thankful ~

    • I'm glad you didn't get too much rain! Today has been drippy here -- no real rain, but not dry either! Good thing, though, that they have a tent over the red carpet at the Oscars!

  • We had some very windy days around here. Don't like it. Glad you are catching up on water out there!

    • The wind that came with our rain was really fierce -- I don't like that either. The wter is not yet where it needs to be, but it's much better than it's been for the last few years!

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