Atmospheric River Storms Hit Parts of Northern & Central California
Forecasters estimate that the atmospheric river storms that hit parts of northern and central California from Oct. 23 to 26 dropped 7.6 trillion gallons of rain.
According to The San Diego Tribune, little of the rain fell in greater San Diego, which has drier soil. Ultimately, the atmospheric river fell apart as it moved south. The North Pacific storm that reached the Bay area on Nov. 1, and the one expected to arrive on Nov. 3 will not move into Southern California.
“The jet stream is positioned to mostly go into the Pacific Northwest and northern California right now,” said Stefani Sullivan, a forecaster at the weather service office in Rancho Bernardo, reported The San Diego Tribune. “But eventually some rain should come down here.”
Yosemite Park visitors saw Horsetail Fall on El Capitan flow, although it does not usually flow at this time of year. The flow is a result of the recent severe storms that swept through the area, creating the phenomenon known as a “firefall,” reported CBS San Francisco.
Park officials said in a Facebook post on Nov. 1 that the Yosemite Valley got more than 6 inches of rain in a 36-hour period. Additionally, a few feet of snow fell at higher elevations. Snow level for much of the storm was high, causing rivers and creeks to rise 8.5 feet on the Merced River at Pohono Bridge and 1.5 feet below flood stage, according to the post.
The heavy rain caused water to roar over the 2,425-foot Yosemite Falls.
Though these conditions were ideal for the drought the state is experiencing, "one storm this early in the water year does not predict the rest of the winter storm season," said Mike Anderson, the state climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources, reported SFGATE. "After this system we see a period of dry conditions return to California."