Drought conditions will likely ease in much of the West this winter, but not in most of California, according to a new climate report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The report, released Thursday, indicates that conditions in the Pacific Ocean, which include a developing El Niño weather pattern, may prompt above-average rainfall for the southern third of California over the next three months.
“There’s just not a strong enough climate signal to make a prediction,” said Mike Halpert, acting director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
The forecast bodes poorly for Northern California. Residents are hoping a wet winter moistens the region after the state saw its driest three-year period on record. The dry spell has local leaders worried about drinking-water supplies, farmers fallowing fields and firefighters scrambling to put out fast-spreading blazes.
Even a wetter-than-average winter would provide only a modicum of drought relief. “It will take significantly above-average precipitation to fill reservoirs and recharge groundwater,” Halpert said.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Winter-rains-not-likely-to-ease-California-drought-5827338.php