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Post by erik on Jul 20, 2015 9:30:05 GMT -5
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Post by moe on Jul 20, 2015 11:00:49 GMT -5
Glad to hear about the rain (and sorry about the inevitable disruptions). How significant is this and what is predicted as far as breaking your drought?
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Post by erik on Jul 20, 2015 11:48:37 GMT -5
Well, it's really just a proverbial drop in the bucket. Four straight years of drought means that we would have to have rainfall of almost apocalyptic proportions this year, or above normal rainfall for the next four years, in order to really end it.
This particular bout of rain was, however, beneficial simply because it was so unusual--though not necessarily unprecedented for Southern California at this time of year.
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Post by sliderocker on Jul 21, 2015 20:26:37 GMT -5
It's great that southern California got some beneficial rain, and I hope you guys get more to help end that drought. This past May, much of Oklahoma was swamped with a record amount of rain, many areas having 16-20" of rain. Then, June came along and another 5-8" of rain was added. And now in July, we are above the amount of rain we normally have. The cause for all this rain is being placed on El Nino and it's suggested this current El Nino is going to last into the middle of next year! All of which has me wondering about the upcoming winter season. If we have the same kind of precipitation we've been having and it falls as snow, there could be some hellacious snow fall totals. If the bizarre weather keeps up for California, southern California's years-long drought could be over in a matter of months. And while I hope the drought does come to end for everyone there, I worry that too much rain in too short of a time would not be a good thing. We've had so much rain this year that every time another rain producing storm system is in the area, the ground is so saturated with moisture, we have a lot of flash flooding. Sometimes, there is too much of a good thing.
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Post by erik on Jul 21, 2015 21:14:36 GMT -5
If it all falls in a huge torrent, as has sometimes been known to happen in the winter (and did this past weekend), over what is essentially parched (and sometimes even scorched) ground, it will be nearly impossible to absorb it all, resulting in a lot of flooding. We have to practically brace for everything during the next 12-18 months.
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Post by sliderocker on Jul 25, 2015 23:36:34 GMT -5
If it all falls in a huge torrent, as has sometimes been known to happen in the winter (and did this past weekend), over what is essentially parched (and sometimes even scorched) ground, it will be nearly impossible to absorb it all, resulting in a lot of flooding. We have to practically brace for everything during the next 12-18 months. Not to mention the earthquakes, of which I understand the Los Angeles area experienced a 4.3 earthquake yesterday or this morning. Just a mild earthquake though it had to make some nervous. We had a 4.4 quake this past week and I felt it at work, and I work on the third floor! That made me nervous. The quake's center was to the north, about 120 miles away. If that quake had been right where we were at, I don't know if that would've been strong enough to cause some serious damage, but I don't want to find out. I was making with the jokes like I had a meeting with the scientists to tell them our planet was doomed, about to explode and I had built a rocket ship to take my infant son to another planet. Or that I shouldn't be telling Catholic joke to humorless nuns. Seriously, though, I do wonder if all this rain we've had could have some kind of impact on the quakes? Such as causing some quakes through creating minor chasms in the earth? Heavy rains can wash away paved roads and collapse bridges, and cause sinkholes, so if a fault line has an opening on top of the earth and heavy rain falls on that line, it should follow the line down into the ground, and maybe heavy enough to create more damage by creating an earthquake. |
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