Record snowfalls in the western United States that closed roads and caused flight delays have also brought some good news for drought-hit California on Thursday, with officials saying the state's snowpack is now well above normal.
After a string of mountain blizzards, snowpack measured at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada stands at more than 200% of its average for this date, according to the first measurement of the season by California's Department of Water Resources . The Sierra Nevada supplies almost a third of the state's water needs, once the snow runs off to reservoirs and aqueducts.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.
Droughts in California are growing more frequent and intense with climate change, according to scientists, threatening the state's already tenuous water supply and creating conditions for dangerous wildfires.The state would still have to see "significant" precipitation in January and February to make up for the two previous winters, the state's fifth- and second-driest water years on record, the DWR said.
"California continues to experience evidence of climate change with bigger swings between wet and dry years and even extreme variability within a season," said Sean de Guzman, manager of DWR's Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. He added a wet start to the winter season did not necessarily mean precipitation in 2022 would end above average.Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Additional reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Sam HolmesSubscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New Year to bring higher minimum wages in record number of states and citiesThe start of 2022 to see hikes in base hourly pay for hundreds of thousands of workers in 56 U.S. jurisdictions, report finds.
Read more »
Asia-Pacific Stocks Mixed; S&P 500 and Dow Close at Record HighsThe S&P 500 sailed to its 70th record close of 2021 overnight stateside. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also notched a record close.
Read more »
S&P 500 posts 70th record close, Dow rises for sixth straight dayU.S. stocks rose Wednesday with the S&P 500 posting its 70th record close of the year. The Dow was up 0.25%. The S&P 500 rose 0.14%. The Nasdaq fell 0.10%.
Read more »
US sets new record for highest number of COVID-19 cases per dayThe CDC has released its daily COVID-19 data early again to show that the U.S. is now averaging more cases than at any other point in the pandemic.
Read more »
Minecraft Speedrunner Breaks World Record But Records The Wrong ScreenA speedrunner realized they live-streamed the wrong screen after breaking Minecraft's speedrun world record at exactly 9 minutes and 31 seconds.
Read more »