El Nino

[ski3pin]

Making the rounds last week were news reports about the developing El Nino weather event, possibly bringing very wet weather to California.

Biggest Since 1997

One of the Strongest in the Last 50 Years

Xmas 1996 it snowed 5 feet here. We were without power for a week and helped friends and neighbors with trees and branches through roofs. Over New Years 1997 a warm storm with very high snow levels poured rain and melted all the snow resulting in catastrophic flooding producing the highest recorded flows on the South Fork of the American River.

 

[billharr]

I remember New Years '97 we drove to Reno on the 1st to ski for a week. Driving through Truckee raining so hard had the wipers on high, should not be raining on Jan 1 in Truckee. Valeted my 77 Blazer at the Hilton in Sparks. We watched the river crest over and start to flood the airport and parking lot. Cars were floating and I called to see where my Blazer was parked, lucky it was on an upper level. Reno was isolated for a couple of days. Airport was closed 80 closed east and west and 395 closed south all by floods not snow.

 

[MarkBC]

Feast or famine, it seems...

 

[takesiteasy]

Don't want to see flooding, but I hope the predictions for a wet season come true for the west. El Niño usually means a warmer winter for us so I wouldn't complain about that either.

 

[ACEBLACKDOG]

history has taught me that "el nino" means....we get what we get...

whatever you have...keep it crossed

 

[pvstoy]

history has taught me that "el nino" means....we get what we get...

whatever you have...keep it crossed

+1
And some have fizzled out after developing...

 

[longhorn1]

You guys out West are sending this essay through Indiana. Almost 25"+ since June 1st, almost everyday. Heavy stuff moving in right now. Please let it stop


Sent from my SCH-I545 using Wander The West mobile app

 

[Squatch]

Usually El nino means lot's of snow here in the east. We are due. Weird year already. Normally May is rainy. We didn't get a drop but hasn't stopped raining hardly since 1st of June. The woods here look like a rain forest. Undergrowth is unreal! Last winter was cold. I expect a lot of snow this winter. I'll make sure the generator and snow removal equipment is up and running early this year. if I don't need it great! But if so I'd like to be ready. I've got 4 cords of wood ready and will be cutting more in tha fall when it cool off. I have some downed trees to clean up.

 

[MarkBC]

'Godzilla El Niño', scientists are now saying.
(so...not just wet wild weather but unleashing prehistoric Japanese monsters? Wow!)

"This year's El Niño is shaping up to be a whopper — potentially surpassing the one in 1997, which was the strongest on record, the National Weather Service says."

http://youtu.be/XO8gXGCWjQQ

 

[highz]

That '97 El Niño was just before I moved to the Sacramento Mountains. I heard stories about the great snowfall here that winter and snow banks that lined the Sunspot Highway many feet high. My skis and snowshoes would like to see some of that.

 

[craig333]

Was that the one that broke the cofferdam? My CRS is acting up. I remember going down to the levee when the American was well past its theoretical limit ( I think it was 110,000 cfs) and nearly topping the levees. Scary stuff. Still, low as the reservoirs are I'll take the risk of flooding.

 

[Lighthawk]

Making the rounds last week were news reports about the developing El Nino weather event, possibly bringing very wet weather to California.

Biggest Since 1997

One of the Strongest in the Last 50 Years

Xmas 1996 it snowed 5 feet here. We were without power for a week and helped friends and neighbors with trees and branches through roofs. Over New Years 1997 a warm storm with very high snow levels poured rain and melted all the snow resulting in catastrophic flooding producing the highest recorded flows on the South Fork of the American River.

Don't we remember. The Yuba River peaked over a 100,000 CFS, exceeding even the Sacramento River.

 

[ski3pin]

Record Strength El Nino -

California Weather Blog

 

[Alley-Kat]

Let's hope this is NOT what's going to happen.


California Megaflood: Lessons from a Forgotten Catastrophe
A 43-day storm that began in December 1861 put central and southern California underwater for up to six months, and it could happen again.

 

[ski3pin]

Let's hope this is NOT what's going to happen.


California Megaflood: Lessons from a Forgotten Catastrophe
A 43-day storm that began in December 1861 put central and southern California underwater for up to six months, and it could happen again.

Wow!

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Wow +1

Scary thought!

 

[Smokecreek1]

Wow+2 and more! This last storm dumped a little snow and allot of cold on us on the Northern East Side of the Sierras but Reno and Nevada got hit good. Most of the projected weather maps show us as just above the cusp of the projected El Nino-dang it!

Smoke

 

[ski3pin]

Reread the article, thanks for posting this Alley-Kat. Sacramento has an underground tour of the abandoned lower story of buildings - now buried as the city was raised in response to the 1861 floods.

The West Without Water

the book mentioned in the article looks like a must read. I'm a sucker for a new book to read.

 

[MarkBC]

On a purely selfish note:
Some friends and i have a XC-ski trip to Yellowstone planned -- reservations for early February.
Last winter we cancelled the same trip due to lack of snow. Doesn't look good for this year, either, probably worse.

 

[PaulT]

Let's hope this is NOT what's going to happen.


California Megaflood: Lessons from a Forgotten Catastrophe
A 43-day storm that began in December 1861 put central and southern California underwater for up to six months, and it could happen again.

For the first time. tonight, the weather report on the TV news referred to an "atmospheric river" in the forecast. That is what the above link called the heavy rains back in 1861. At any rate, it appears that we are being hit by one throughout the coming week. Without Alley-Kat's above post, I would not know to be vewy vewy fwightened. Thanks for that.

Paul