On 7/19/2015 9:32 AM, songbird wrote:
thanks to a huge amount of new rainfall in the
upper Colorado River Basin and recent rains in
southern California (Delores) you folks are
getting a little more breathing room.

i hope you use it wisely...


songbird


Yesterday's rains (1.26 inches near my house) will do little to refill
California's reservoirs. The primary source of water for the reservoirs
is precipitation in central and -- most important -- northern
California. Some cities in southern California -- including Los Angeles
-- do attempt to capture rainfall and use it to replenish underground
aquifers. And, of course, we all will be using less water for a while
to irrigate our gardens.

Where I live, we do not get any water from the Colorado River. A slight
increase in its flow from storms in the northern part of its watershed
will mean a slightly less demand for water from the California Water
Project's dams and aqueduct.

Thus, we are getting some minor relief. At this stage of the drought,
even minor relief is welcome.

Today, I have not seen any rain. The weather is hot, cloudy, and
extremely humid. The 9:00am PDT forecast is for 50%-60% probability of
measurable rain this afternoon, this evening, and daytime Monday.
"50%-60% probability" means that 50%-60% of the area will experience
some rain, not that all areas have a 50%-60% probability of rain.

As of 30 June, 12 major California reservoirs were collectively at 37%
of capacity. That is less than half the historical average for that date.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary