Publication: Washington Post
UCLA Expert: Daniel Swain: Assistant Researcher and Climate Specialist, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Synopsis: After a season of massive snowfall, snowpack in California’s southern Sierra Nevada is way above its normal level. It sits at a whopping 261% of its typical April 1 peak, and it sailed past levels from the 1982-83 season, a benchmark year in the modern record for snow and for floods. As spring begins and temperatures warm, the bulk of that snow will start to melt — driving fears of serious flooding in the valley below.
UCLA News: “The risk is really coming from the fact that those dams now have to essentially release all of the water that flows into them,” Swain said. “Rather than buffering flows, they’ve reached their safety maximum.” While flooding so far has been limited to agricultural areas, he noted that the risk is likely to grow to include more populated areas and that the state was shifting significant response resources to the region.
Read more at Washington Post.
