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BBA
climber
OF
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Jan 26, 2014 - 07:35pm PT
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It is so dry that the new grass which came up after the two pathetic rains we've had in Santa Rosa is browning out at only a few inches in height. Usually it is green here in December, but at the end of January it looks all brown. If it doesn't start raining a bit it is going to be a hard year for everyone, but dairy and beef will be destroyed.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
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Jan 26, 2014 - 07:39pm PT
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one year is not bad,
but if the same thing happens for the next two years, then you have trouble.
whitewater people don't like it, especially rafting companies,
this happened back in 74, 75 76? can't remember the exact years but i do remember camping above calaveras big trees on new years day and it was warm without a speck of snow, about 5,000 feet,
fish flows and water contracts lower water levels, then you have to use well water which is not everywhere, this type of drought puts pressure on politicians to build more dams and canals which is a bummer, have they blown up Iron Gate yet?
it is good for gold mining,
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Jan 26, 2014 - 07:41pm PT
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Both Whiskey Creeks closed and i got cotton mouth..That's bad...!
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nita
Social climber
chica de chico, I don't claim to be a daisy.
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Jan 26, 2014 - 07:56pm PT
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My city/county, major water use is probably agriculture..Rice, Walnuts, almonds, fruit trees,corn, seed crops,strawberries, flowers, bovine etc..
Lassen Park, Jan 2013
Lassen Park Jan 2014
Badger Pass Today
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Jan 26, 2014 - 08:00pm PT
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The beaches are doing great business for winter. That'll help make up for the lack of business in the ski towns.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jan 26, 2014 - 08:20pm PT
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I biked down to Long Beach from the SGV last week and while I wouldn't call the beach crowded, the restaurants and shops along the main drag were packed!
I was up at Idyllwild today and it looks and feels like early summer.
There was a spell like this in the 70's that ended with a winter where the San Gabriel River was within a foot of the levy tops at El Monte for almost a week. 7 years of drought to one year of flood, give or take, seems to be the normal cycle.
Then there's the long term perspective, and it's not encouraging. It looks like we've been living in an unusually wet period for the west, for the last couple of hundred years.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_24993601/california-drought-past-dry-periods-have-lasted-more
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Jan 26, 2014 - 08:23pm PT
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ekat.....the trickle UP theory?
Dean, was down in Mammoth on business and went in to your town on the way home for breakfast, absolutely deserted like a bomb went off. Let's hope this next weekend brings us the goods. I'm heading to MT on Wed., for some skiing.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Jan 26, 2014 - 08:25pm PT
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Wendell is right, everybody needs to chill out. This is Cali, it happens. People piss and moan when we have wet years, and they piss and moan in dry years.
Meh. I'm used to it. Use it to yer advantage.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Jan 26, 2014 - 08:32pm PT
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They should think about making snow in Mammoth and June, like they do in SoCal. They're skiing in Big Bear today - on man-made snow.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Jan 26, 2014 - 08:39pm PT
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I don't know about y'all, but I'm hoarding ammo and rations. Dudes, martial law is right around the corner.
Nice knowing y'all...
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Jan 26, 2014 - 08:44pm PT
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Charlie D. , we're not having a great snow year, BUT a few early seasons dump gave us some base, so the snowpack is decent--luckily for you, some more snow is on the way this week...
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Jan 26, 2014 - 08:52pm PT
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In Los Angeles, we had a couple of campers start a wild fire near Glendora, burned about 1800 acres, destroyed a few houses. Even in a light winter, you normally don't need to worry about fires in January, so the warmth and dryness is pretty unprecedented.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jan 26, 2014 - 09:00pm PT
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They were bums, vagrants, not campers!
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Jan 26, 2014 - 09:07pm PT
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mojede, we'll be heading into Bozeman which may be getting the most snow of anywhere in the lower 48? Anyway have family in town and can't wait to get on my new powder boards, we'll see what shapes up, here's to cold smoke.....cheers!
Charlie D.
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Jan 26, 2014 - 09:11pm PT
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I heard from a friend that the skiing on Mammoth Mt. is decent inspite of the lack of precip...?
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Jan 26, 2014 - 09:12pm PT
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We Californian's have nothing to worry about because we will just buy water from out ta state.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Jan 26, 2014 - 09:29pm PT
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They say it's the worse in 100 years. It's damned severe and nothing to make light of or ignore. The dryness is stretching up the entire west coast. Sad to say but many folks in many industries are going to get hurt real real bad by it, and the cali economy will feel this hit. Not just the ski resorts, although they get to be first. The list of those affected will sadly be much too long.
Side note, cattle and other livestock will hit some fairly low prices before later hitting significant highs. Although it may be mitigated by the weather in the midwest which is markedly different. So, buy beef now if you are planning on it and you can afford to stuff yer freezer. If you are a praying person, might not hurt to say a prayer for some of the wet stuff.
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Paul Martzen
Trad climber
Fresno
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Jan 26, 2014 - 09:43pm PT
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The Fresno Bee had a story about the drought today, calling it catastrophic. Some Berkeley scientists who look at fossil records estimate this year to be the worst drought in the last 500 years, far worse than 1976-77 and 1923-24, which were the driest years on record.
Surprisingly my local cities, Clovis and Fresno have not called for any limits to water use or outside watering.
I think that most irrigation districts than rely on Sierra water will be able to supply only a few days at the most of surface water for their farmers. Many irrigation districts will not be able to supply any water at all, since they have less senior rights.
To grow crops or even just to keep trees alive, everyone will be pumping groundwater. The water table will drop quickly and many pumps will run dry. Wealthier farmers who could afford to drill deeper wells in the recent past, will be able to continue pumping while their neighbors go dry. This sort of thing is already occurring in areas such as Paso Robles.
The cause is a very large and very stable high pressure zone in the Pacific. Supposedly it has been stable for about 13 months and shows no sign of changing. No one seems to have any idea why this high pressure zone has been so stable or how long it might last. It could suddenly change, send us a little rain or a deluge, or it could last for years and years.
We may get through it, or a lot of people will be leaving California.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/25/3733170/a-catastrophic-change.html
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Jan 26, 2014 - 09:44pm PT
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It's killing the economy of ski towns...including my own.
It's not helping us up here any either Dean. Although we are doing better than you guys!
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