California's water management officials are rushing to capture as much runoff as possible from the state's weeks-long atmospheric river storms in an attempt to alleviate water supply concerns stemming from the ongoing megadrought.
The powerful storms, which are nearing a lull, have been a huge boost for California's snowpack and reservoirs and likely a big help for preventing water shortages during the dry season.
However, vast amounts of rain falling heavily on saturated soil means much of the water has been running off into rivers and eventually the Pacific Ocean, rather than filling reservoirs and recharging depleted groundwater storage. One concern is that it's not clear how long drier conditions will last during the rest of the winter. If the weather pattern shuts off the atmospheric faucet completely, then California could end the wet season with a precipitation deficit.
"We are no longer managing for just drought conditions or flood conditions, the current situation across the state demands we manage for both simultaneously,"Regional snowpack totals as of Monday, Jan. 16. Image: California Department of Water Resources
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