Suddenly, California Has Too Much Water – the Atlantic
The state is being tossed between awful climate extremes.
In the Talmudic parable of Honi the Circle Maker, the drought-stricken people of Jerusalem send up a prayer that God should deliver them rain. And sure enough, after a few false starts, he does. Except that once the rain starts, it won’t let up. It pours and pours until the people are forced to flee to higher ground, their homes flooded by the answer to their prayer…
Soaked and Battered by Repeating Rainstorms, California Girds for More – the New York Times
Extreme weather has plagued many parts of the country this fall and winter. But few places have been as ravaged by the changing climate these last weeks as California.
An unrelenting series of pounding storms over at least 11 days has left no part of California untouched — flooding towns from north to south, loading inland mountains with snow and transforming the often dry Los Angeles River into a raging channel…
In Santa Cruz, the deluge came from the skies and the sea – The Washington Post
The California college town has faced wildfires in recent years. Now it’s adjusting to the reality of floods.
The surfers were loving it.
A set of waves was breaking Sunday just offshore from the main beach in this college town known for its mountain biking, laid-back atmosphere and famous surf spots. This wasn’t one of them, though. A parade of rainstorms had swelled the San Lorenzo River, pushing heaps of sand out of its mouth and building up a sandbar that was kicking up near-perfect waves…
Before-and-after photos show damage to Capitola after California storm – SF GATE
One of California’s prettiest little beach towns is in for a long recovery after brutal surf and whipping winds tore apart its picturesque village.
Capitola was hit hard last week by what meteorologists called a “bomb cyclone” storm. Waves were so intense that its historic wharf broke in half, and Capitola’s photogenic downtown was flooded with debris. Along with water damage, businesses and homes must contend with all manner of flotsam and jetsam that now litter the waterfront…
Coastal California is Ravaged by Multiple Atmospheric Rivers
People tend to have a short disaster memory…What this storm is telling us is it’s time to think a little more long-term and make some decisions…We’ve been Band-Aiding things together for a long time.” – Gary Griggs
Gallery images courtesy of Shmuel Thaler / Santa Cruz Sentinel, Kim Steinhardt, and Gary Griggs
Major flooding in Santa Cruz Mountains as atmospheric river storm pounds Bay Area – Santa Cruz Sentinel
San Lorenzo River hits second-highest level in 85 years, as Bay Area is soaked with another storm
The fifth atmospheric river storm in 10 days, an onslaught of soaking weather that has drenched Northern California since New Year’s Eve, hit hard again Monday, causing major flooding near Felton in the Santa Cruz Mountains, submerging Highway 101 near Gilroy and sending creeks and rivers to the tops of their banks…
Battered coastline, flooding rivers trap residents, bring misery in Santa Cruz County – Los Angeles Times
On Monday, as huge swaths of Central and Northern California were still assessing damage from a quick succession of storms last week, another winter rain pelted the region, triggering floods that claimed the life of a motorist and swept away a 5-year-old boy who was trying to cross a road with his mother. Conditions were so unsafe Monday afternoon that officials called off the search for the boy…
Battered by Storms, California Coastal Towns Prepare for Another Deluge – New York Times
Hundreds of homes in the Santa Cruz region were damaged by flooding and wind. Weary residents are steeling themselves for even worse conditions this week.
A barrage of powerful storms has surprised residents across Northern California with an unrelenting period of extreme weather stretching over weeks, with only small intervals of dryness. These storms have toppled trees…
On the Edge of Retreat (multimedia feature) – the Washington Post
A century ago, about 250 people lived on Hog Island, a seven-mile expanse off the Virginia coast. They raised livestock and gathered oysters. They lived in a town called Broadwater, worked at the lighthouse and Coast Guard station, and danced at night in a social hall called the Red Onion.
But that was back when there was still soil beneath their feet…