See this important article at psgmag.com:

HERE

“Last month, a huge swath of Southern California was on fire. Now, with heavy rain imminent, local residents are holding their breath in  anticipation of what might happen next. Many people are hoping for rain to break a multi-level drought, so how can rains result in such a disaster? The reason has to do with the fact that California soils have been so dry, it is no longer porous. Hence, the absorbent quality of the sizzled land deteriorates causing “massive run off” of rain water.”

“Officials in Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties have instituted mandatory evacuations in anticipation of the latest weather calamity in a besieged stretch of the state. The same residents that were, until recently, blanketed with wildfire smoke are now filling sandbags to prepare for a flood.” – Pacific Standard (psgmag.com)

CaliforniaFire, mudslides, rainfall

To see a video of the historic mudslides last week, click here:  https://nyti.ms/2FiIlgZ

Climate Change

Many of the world’s “leading scientists” are attributing hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and more recently, the 110 degree heat in Australia, forest fires and now floods and mudslides in California to Climate Change.  I believe that at least “part” of last year’s record $306 billion in U.S. natural disasters can be attributed to Climate Change.  This number is only growing.

(Map below). Over the next two weeks, at least three storms will deliver 4″ to 6” of rainfall to northern and central California. Parts of the Pacific northwest could see 10″ to 15” of rain. This could translate into 5 to 10 feet of snow for the Cascades and at least a few feet from the Lake Tahoe region to ski areas like Snowbird in Utah.

The situation is “bitter sweet.”  These storms promise to refill aquifers and help the drought battered west see an increase in hydroelectric water reserves. It also will bring about the best skiing of the winter to many western states. Nevertheless, additional mudslides will be possible in parts of California. –JIM ROEMER

CWG, california, rainfall

Melted moisture projection (inches) next 2 weeks. Translated to snow, this means feet and feet out west.

Map above from CWG/Stormvista.com