Publication: Washington Post

UCLA Expert: Daniel Swain: Assistant Researcher and Climate Specialist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Synopsis:  With a prolonged wet pattern in the forecast, the concern is that a series of closely spaced, stronger storms could continue to bombard the state next week. 

UCLA News: “There will be some flooding, the question is just how problematic it becomes, and that’s going to depend mainly on the exact storm sequencing next week,” UCLA’s Daniel Swain, said. According to him “this is definitely one of the higher-impact wet periods” in recent years. Right now, it looks like it could be comparable to what we saw in the 2016-17 winter, which was an exceptionally wet year with some significant flood-related impacts in Northern California.” Swain further said that he expects significant, short-term drought relief for Northern and Central California, although the January storms will have little effect on the Colorado River crisis. “The drought situation is going to look a lot better when we see the next major drought update in either two or four weeks.”

Read more at Washington Post.