Pacifica cliff erosion continues to threaten apartment building. Photo: LIONEL EMDE
Posted on 01/21/2010 10:32:26 AM PST by NormsRevenge
SAN FRANCISCO -- El Niño is officially here. Finally.
Miserable commutes, howling winds, flooding streams, closed schools - this week's storms have had all the nasty punishments the famed weather pattern was supposed to bring, but hadn't so far this winter.
Thunder-filled skies dumped more than an inch of rain in most Bay Area locations for the third consecutive day Wednesday, and by the time everyone was able to see clearly through the car windshield again in the evening, the verdict was clear.
"It was looking more like El No-show than El Niño a couple of months ago, but there's no real doubt now," said National Weather Service forecaster Dave Reynolds. "This is now a pattern reminiscent of a moderate to strong El Niño, and it's not going to go away.
"We've now caught up in rainfall, and this kind of weather should last through the spring."
Statewide, reservoirs are still just at 74 percent of average to date, a hangover from three drier-than-normal years. Some are doing far better, however, including Hetch Hetchy, ..
And the Sierra snowpack, where the bulk of California's water supply is stored until summer, is at 96 percent of normal, and growing by the hour.
No more high pressure
The advent of a true El Niño is encouraging, and at best a harbinger of much wetness to come, Reynolds said.
In an El Niño, he explained, unusually warm conditions in the tropical Pacific shove clouds and thunderstorms across the ocean and into the West Coast. Most of those clouds weren't getting here until now, however, because of a high pressure system squatting off the California coast - but that system recently departed, and El Niño is free to rampage.
"The last time we had this kind of El Niño was in 1997-98," Reynolds said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Closing in on 5 inches here in San Jose since Sunday and still coming..
Doesn’t that mean we over here on the right coast may have better weather?
Pacifica cliff erosion continues to threaten apartment building. Photo: LIONEL EMDE
Good question.
Uhh, No.. Maybe Not. Have the manatees defrosted yet? :-)
all them big cold masses of air take a long time to clear out
and as long as moisture is getting slung its direction
snow and sleet happens.
I hope we have good weather for the SuperBowl.. Vikes Jets :-)
I'm right about smack dab in the middle of the orangeish gob
SF...unbelievable, whinning about much needed rain.
Maybe the Imperial Valley can now go back to work without harming any “smelt”.
Got 'shovel ready'?
LA broke its all time lowest barometric pressure record:
RECORD EVENT REPORT...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 825 AM PST THU JAN 21 2010
PRELIMINARY RECORD LOWEST BAROMETRIC PRESSURE AT LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT... AT 820 AM PST...THE BAROMETRIC PRESSURE AT LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FELL TO 29.20 INCHES OF MERCURY...OR 988.8 MB. THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD LOWEST BAROMETRIC PRESSURE READING OF 29.25 INCHES...OR 990.6 MB...SET ON JANUARY 17TH 1988. IT IS LIKELY THAT THE PRESSURE WILL FALL EVEN FURTHER THROUGH THE MORNING...AND THE RECORD WILL CONTINUE TO MONITORED. PRESSURE DATA RECORDS AT LOS ANGELES AIRPORT DATE BACK TO 1931.
Sweet. Thanks.
Cool, greatly reduced chance of landfall hurricanes this year.
Ouch
spin-offs of El Neenjaaa?
A Night of Tornadoes in East Texas, Louisiana
http://www.accuweather.com/mt-news-blogs.asp?blog=Weathermatrix
Them places are in trouble.
New Pacific Storm to Endanger Los Angeles, Phoenix Communities
http://www.accuweather.com/
A new Pacific storm will unleash the worst of its fury across Southern California and Arizona today into tonight. It is inevitable that more flooding, mudslides, wind damage and burying mountain snow will result, potentially leading to deadly and destructive consequences. Heavy rain from previous storms this week has heighten the threat of flooding and mudslides, even outside of the recently burned areas. Severe thunderstorms could also add to the storm’s danger.
Full Story
http://www.accuweather.com/regional-news-story.asp?region=westusnews
I’m sure the Bay area needs a good hosing down.
With a strong bleach mixture...
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