Environment

California Drought

California is experiencing the worst drought in its history, and the effects are being felt nationwide. Thus water issues have taken center stage in much of our reporting and the nation's.As the New York Times says, "Water has long been a precious resource in California, the subject of battles pitting farmer against city-dweller and northern communities against southern ones; books and movies have been made about its scarcity and plunder. Water is central to the state’s identity and economy, and a symbol of how wealth and ingenuity have tamed nature ..."As we continue through a fourth year of extreme drought conditions, you'll find all of our reporting on the related issues (and that of NPR and other member stations) in this centralized place.

El Niño Won't End California Drought

North State Public Radio | By Ed Joyce

Published May 28, 2015 at 11:32 AM PDT

U.S. forecasters say there's an 80 percent chance that El Niño will continue through 2015 in the Northern Hemisphere.

The sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific have risen above normal, creating the conditions that can bring record heat to some continents and more rain to others, like the U.S.

But, it won't end the drought in California, says meteorologist Michelle Mead with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

"El Niño does not guarantee that we're going to see record-breaking rainfall or a drought-ending year,” she said. “It just means there is some potential to see some above-average precipitation.”

Mead says at this time last year, the early El Niño forecast was similar but didn't bring any relief to California.

She says El Niño is not a good predictor of rain and snow in Northern California.

This story was produced by Capital Public Radio.