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... nearly 200% above average for the first two months of the water year Two months of twice normal precipitation is all it took to alleviate the drought? From

... nearly 200% above average for the first two months of the water year Two months of twice normal precipitation is all it took to alleviate the drought? From the dire tone of all the news I read from California it seemed way worse than that.

milcron 10y ago
Only the Northern part of the state has satisfied the drought. > On Nov. 3, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that about a quarter of California was out of drought conditions, the best outlook the state has had since spring 2013, when 64% of the state was considered in “moderate drought” or worse. >The picture in Southern California, however, remains bleak. A bark beetle infestation that took hold in the southern and central Sierra Nevada during the drought has killed more than 100 million trees and is moving north, increasing the danger of wildfire.
Jenya_ 10y ago
200% above average is not twice normal, it is 100% + 200%, that is x3
- justinator 10y ago
  The article is actually misleading. It says that Oct. was 4x as much precip. than normal, and Nov. was less than average... then says that for the TWO months together, it's 200% above average. But the data is a spike in one month, then more drought-like conditions in the next. So...
Neliquat 10y ago
This helps the current drought condition. It does not, as mentioned below, replenish the water table, or other more long term ailments of overpopulation. So both are correct.
- digikata 10y ago
  There are techniques to improve aquifier recharge rates, or even actively replenish them by pumping. Of course, it all takes planning and resources to accomplish. http://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/groundwater/recharge/ http://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/groundwater/recharge/
dogma1138 10y ago
200% above the normal rate in a short period considering the rain season isn't over can replenish at least the immediate natural water reservoirs. The ground has a limit to how much water it can contain if the natural reservoirs are full the water will evaporate. Effectively smart water management involves draining your water sources to the amount that will be replenished otherwise you waste your rainy season.
- plussed_reader 10y ago
  Until you factor in the farms across the state further altering the local water tables by pulling up water by well.
  - dogma1138 10y ago
    I didn't factor anything, I'm not a climatologist or a geologist I have basic understanding of how things work. Aquifers get full, ground has a limited amount of water it can hold, if it's dry water is absorbed and it precipitates into the underground reservoirs if it's wet it doesn't. There is also a risk of the ground becoming too dry and erosion and other mechanism basically compact it to the point where aquifers get effectively cut off from precipitation, or aquifers being drained too far and then refilled quickly which in turn increases the salinity of the water they hold to the point in which it's not drinkable. That said even 2 weeks of rain can have a very drastic effect on the water ecosystem in a region.
    - greglindahl 10y ago
      Where in California is any aquifer full? Or any reservoir? I'm having a hard time connecting your comments to the article.
      - digler999 10y ago
        Thats not what he said. He was describing why you aim to drain reservoirs in concert with precipitation, to maximize ground water absorption by prolonging the drainage at a low rate.
pfarnsworth 10y ago
Of course, that's called the media for you. The way they made it sound, California was never going to recover.
- stouset 10y ago
  Of course, that's the average commenter for you. They make it sound like they're incapable of understanding anything with more nuance than a headline. This alleviated drought conditions only for Northern California. Not for SoCal, which is still in dire condition. This also says nothing about the state of the water table. This is treading well into "a snowball disproving global warming" territory.
- jonknee 10y ago
  Of course you should read the story because there are huge swaths of California that are very much still in dire drought. The Northern Sierra wasn't where the worst of it was, it is not surprising at all that it is recovering more quickly.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
etrautmann 10y ago
We also had a rainy season last year - these reservoirs were significantly filled relative to 2015 levels throughout summer/fall of 2016

milcron 10y ago

Only the Northern part of the state has satisfied the drought. > On Nov. 3, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that about a quarter of California was out of drought conditions, the best outlook the state has had since spring 2013, when 64% of the state was considered in “moderate drought” or worse. >The picture in Southern California, however, remains bleak. A bark beetle infestation that took hold in the southern and central Sierra Nevada during the drought has killed more than 100 million trees and is moving north, increasing the danger of wildfire.

Jenya_ 10y ago

200% above average is not twice normal, it is 100% + 200%, that is x3

justinator 10y ago
The article is actually misleading. It says that Oct. was 4x as much precip. than normal, and Nov. was less than average... then says that for the TWO months together, it's 200% above average. But the data is a spike in one month, then more drought-like conditions in the next. So...

Neliquat 10y ago

This helps the current drought condition. It does not, as mentioned below, replenish the water table, or other more long term ailments of overpopulation. So both are correct.

digikata 10y ago
There are techniques to improve aquifier recharge rates, or even actively replenish them by pumping. Of course, it all takes planning and resources to accomplish. http://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/groundwater/recharge/ http://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/groundwater/recharge/

dogma1138 10y ago

200% above the normal rate in a short period considering the rain season isn't over can replenish at least the immediate natural water reservoirs. The ground has a limit to how much water it can contain if the natural reservoirs are full the water will evaporate. Effectively smart water management involves draining your water sources to the amount that will be replenished otherwise you waste your rainy season.

plussed_reader 10y ago
Until you factor in the farms across the state further altering the local water tables by pulling up water by well.
- dogma1138 10y ago
  I didn't factor anything, I'm not a climatologist or a geologist I have basic understanding of how things work. Aquifers get full, ground has a limited amount of water it can hold, if it's dry water is absorbed and it precipitates into the underground reservoirs if it's wet it doesn't. There is also a risk of the ground becoming too dry and erosion and other mechanism basically compact it to the point where aquifers get effectively cut off from precipitation, or aquifers being drained too far and then refilled quickly which in turn increases the salinity of the water they hold to the point in which it's not drinkable. That said even 2 weeks of rain can have a very drastic effect on the water ecosystem in a region.
  - greglindahl 10y ago
    Where in California is any aquifer full? Or any reservoir? I'm having a hard time connecting your comments to the article.
    - digler999 10y ago
      Thats not what he said. He was describing why you aim to drain reservoirs in concert with precipitation, to maximize ground water absorption by prolonging the drainage at a low rate.

pfarnsworth 10y ago

Of course, that's called the media for you. The way they made it sound, California was never going to recover.

stouset 10y ago
Of course, that's the average commenter for you. They make it sound like they're incapable of understanding anything with more nuance than a headline. This alleviated drought conditions only for Northern California. Not for SoCal, which is still in dire condition. This also says nothing about the state of the water table. This is treading well into "a snowball disproving global warming" territory.
jonknee 10y ago
Of course you should read the story because there are huge swaths of California that are very much still in dire drought. The Northern Sierra wasn't where the worst of it was, it is not surprising at all that it is recovering more quickly.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

etrautmann 10y ago

We also had a rainy season last year - these reservoirs were significantly filled relative to 2015 levels throughout summer/fall of 2016