USGS
A magnitude
4.2 quake was registered just 50 miles north west of Sacramento this morning
which is uncomfortably close to the stricken and full to capacity Oroville Dam
as The Sacramento Bee reports Reservoirs feeding Lake Oroville are filled to
brim as more rain rolls in.
In fact,
all of the nine reservoirs in the Feather River watershed that feed directly
into Lake Oroville are brimming with water from recent storms.
A tense
flood watch is developing in the San Joaquin River community with flashbacks of
past floods setting in and the river gathering in speed and height, county
emergency officials have told low-lying residents of the club to be ready to
evacuate. Those closest to the levee have packed their bags and set up ground
pumps to force the water creeping up to their homes into a lake.
The SFGATE
is reporting San Francisco's total rainfall surpassed normal for a full season
as of 5 a.m. Monday.
Average
rainfall for a season, running October 1 to September 31, is 23.65 inches.
S.F. had
seen 24.38 inches as of this morning. The total reached this benchmark after a
moisture-packed storm driven by an atmospheric river walloped Northern
California. The City by the Bay received nearly an inch in 24 hours.
It's nearly
impossible to exaggerate this milestone after five seasons marked by drought
and below-average rainfall. "We haven't even reached rainfall in an entire
season in five years," said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate
Weather Services. "The fact that we've gotten there in the middle of
February is noteworthy."
A series of
weather systems known as atmospheric rivers have blasted Northern California
since the start of the year, resulting in impressive rainfall totals around the
Bay Area.
These
plumes of vapor originate in the Pacific, and collect tropical moisture as they
travel across the ocean. Upon making landfall, they turn on like fire hoses,
spewing rain and snow.
Northern
California typically sees one or two atmospheric rivers in the winter. This
year they've hit in rapid succession and the region has had at least five.
No comments:
Post a Comment