First storm of the 2016-17 North CA rainy season

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat storm monitors,

Some of the storm damage in Northern California has been more "serious."  Take for example this eucalyptus tree falling next to a restaurant:

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/23/photos-massive-tree-falls-and-crushes-cars-in-bay-area-city/

It fell two weeks ago on a Sunday evening when the restaurant was starting to receive guests.  Amazingly, nobody was hurt.  However, a few people aren't going to have any trouble having their insurance declaring their cars to be total wrecks:





It was really lucky that neither the restaurant nor nearby appartments were hit.

Edouard

[jace]

Edouard 

I was interested to read that your are having to pump your basement out due to the heavy rain. 

Have you ever considered modifying the basement as a rain storage cistern as is normal in Bermuda ? At least it could be used for washing the car, and watering the garden. 

JC

[elagache]

Dear JC and WeatherCat space efficient packrats . . .

I was interested to read that your are having to pump your basement out due to the heavy rain. 

Have you ever considered modifying the basement as a rain storage cistern as is normal in Bermuda ? At least it could be used for washing the car, and watering the garden.

  . . . . . Well that doesn't sound like a bad idea but for one thing . . . . where would I keep all the spare parts for my trusty wagon and all the other knick-knacks that my Dad had collected for over 50 years?!?!?? . . . . . .

Sadly the real problem is a rather poor foundation design that was partially concrete footing and partially concrete slab.  Luckily this house rests mostly on sandstone, otherwise it would have probably broken in two in the space between the slabs and the concrete footing!

Cheers, Edouard 

P.S. This house will be 70 years old this year, so I suppose I shouldn't complain!

[Blicj11]

P.S. This house will be 70 years old this year, so I suppose I shouldn't complain!

I didn't realise the house was as old as you, mate.

[elagache]

Dear Blick and WeatherCat numerologists, . . . .

P.S. This house will be 70 years old this year, so I suppose I shouldn't complain!

I didn't realise the house was as old as you, mate.

  . . That sir is an unmitigated exaggeration! . . . . . Nonetheless, I'm prepared to state that I am older than my trusty wagon, but nonetheless considerably younger than the house!  Although I also will the first to admits I certainly wish I could look as good as my trusty wagon who doesn't look a day over 20,000 miles! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat "I can't believe it is still raining/snowing" types,

At about mid-afternoon, my Davis console looked like this:



So what is the significance?  The number of importance is the over 5" of rainfall.  Why you ask?  The normal seasonal rainfall for the entire month of February is . . . . 4.75"!!  Now the observant reader will also note the date.  We haven't even gotten through 1/3 of the month!  Just to add to what is already overboard, this isn't the only rainfall in February - at this moment the monthly total stands at: 6.28".

  . . . . So can I skip the rest of February and fast-forward directly to March? . . . . 

Because if I can't, then February is looking at least as wet as January.  At the moment, the 6-10 day, 8-14 day, and experimental week 3-4 outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center are show above normal precipitation for Northern California.  Definitely continuing to be a wild-wet-ride at the moment!

Cheers, Edouard

[Blicj11]

This same storm os forecast to drop 12 inches of snow at my house tomorrow. Keep 'em coming; you are doing great this winter.

[elagache]

Dear Blick and WeatherCat "beware of what you ask for - you might get it" types,

This same storm os forecast to drop 12 inches of snow at my house tomorrow. Keep 'em coming; you are doing great this winter.

  . . . Well, I'll have you know I thought I spotted a UFO late this morning.  Then I realized it was the sun!     It had been so long that I didn't recognize it! . . . 

We are supposed to get a break from the rain until around next Thursday.  We sure need it!  There is a new mudslide in North of Orinda and the situation at Oroville dam is definitely worrisome.

Oh well, . . . . . Edouard

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat extreme weather watchers,

Here is a news report on the slide in the Northern area of Orinda that happened on Thursday:

http://abc7news.com/weather/orinda-home-severely-damaged-by-mudslide/1746348/

These folks lost their place to live for now and trying to put a house back on that property might be a difficult and expensive proposition.

Edouard

[Blicj11]

Wow! Now that's a mud slide. We had one here too, but it only closed the road for 12 hours with 4 feet of mud that slid down from high up on the mountain. It rained all day yesterday and then snowed 6 inches after midnight.

[elagache]

Dear Blick and WeatherCat soggy West coast types,

Wow! Now that's a mud slide. We had one here too, but it only closed the road for 12 hours with 4 feet of mud that slid down from high up on the mountain.

Sorry that you had your own incident with a mud slide.  At least nobody was hurt in your case as well and road is back open.  The hills around the San Francisco Bay Area are known to be vulnerable to slides, and sadly, many slide-prone locations make for a attractive real estate.  So it stands to reason more houses will be lost this year.

It rained all day yesterday and then snowed 6 inches after midnight.

These storms are tapping into warm sub-tropical or in some cases true tropical taps.  So by normal winter standards these storms are warm as well as well.  The higher altitude rains are definitely making things worse along the waterways fed by the Sierras.  Instead of that moisture staying put as snow, it rolls down rapidly and loads the flood control dams that shouldn't be under stress so early in the season.  At least the emergency spillway worked properly on the Oroville dam:

http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article132290569.html

However, we are expecting another round of heavy rains for the second have of this upcoming week.  So the stress on our region is continuing and I assume you'll be seeing the same a few days later.

Oh well, . . . . . Edouard

[Blicj11]

Edouard, do I understad correctly that this is the first time in it's 48 years, that Lake Oroville is full?

[xairbusdriver]

"So the lake rose 50 feet in just a few days," Dan Brekke of member station KQED tells Morning Edition, "and got up to this emergency spillway which had never been used since the dam went into service in 1968. And on Saturday morning, it began pouring over there."

Doesn't sound like the Oroville Dam is completely safe and secure just yet. I feel for the several thousand folks downstream, most probably living in the town of Oroville. From what I can see at other sites (the video at the Sac Bee won't run on my OS), this is what/where the high water exited the reservoir: (Edit: Actually, image #2 and #12 at the SacBee site show a view from the NW end of emergency spillway, looking S. It shows the overflow seeking its own path down the hill through the trees. Doesn't look like it ever got back into the normal spillway path before reaching the Feather River)

[elagache]

Dear Blick, X-Air, and WeatherCat extreme weather watchers,

Edouard, do I understad correctly that this is the first time in it's 48 years, that Lake Oroville is full?

Well, it is back down once more but yes, this was the first time the emergency spillway had ever been used.  Sadly, it started to fail as soon as the water starting going over.

Doesn't sound like the Oroville Dam is completely safe and secure just yet. I feel for the several thousand folks downstream, most probably living in the town of Oroville.

The state took no chances, 188,000 people were ordered to evacuate the area:

http://www.abc10.com/news/local/live-update-damaged-oroville-dam-spillway/407882066

The Los Angeles times has a good explanation of what the problem is with the emergency spillway:

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-oroville-dam-how-20170213-story.html

It is too early to tell, but it does appear that this isn't a crisis caused by purely by mother nature, but that human beings could have prevented it and didn't.  We will have to wait and see . . . . .

Oh well, . . . . Edouard

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat arborists, . . . .

Our Acacia tree was in full bloom when the last atmospheric river hit us and alas the weight of all those wet blooms was too much for one of the main branches:



It is a nasty break that is over 1 foot.  You can spot it at the extreme right of the photo above.  Here is the side view:



There is a 12 inch ruler on the top to give you a scale.  Here is a view of the opening made by the break:



I called our arborist to come and look over the tree now that it has lost two major south-facing branches.  The tree many need to be pruned back to restore its balance.  In the meantime, I've got an awful lot of wood to clear - lucky me . . . . . 

Oh well, . . . . Edouard