Predictions of heavy rain and snow pile up
-December 31,2022-
NWS Hanford’s 7-day forecast calls for rain or a good chance for rain for 7 of 8 days into the new year. Already heavy precipitation brought in by an atmospheric river has soaked most of California and piled up snow in the Sierra this week. Another water laden atmospheric river will span from Friday into Saturday, taking aim at California with heavy precipitation. Forecasters call for a brief break in the rain along the West Coast for Sunday as the trough axis shifts east, but another round of precipitation is forecast once again by Monday-Tuesday.
“For now we don’t see an end to this stormy pattern” says Hanford meteorologist Antoinette Serrato.
This past Tuesday’s storm was impressive, bringing almost 3 inches to the Sierra around Hume Lake, and 2.6 inches at Wawona in Yosemite. Skiers at China Peak near Huntington Lake have seen 150 inches of snow this season and runs are open now till April.
Going forward, New Year’s day could turn wet too and the storms just keep coming. Bay Area meteorologist Brian Garcia says he sees rain for next 12 days with up to 12 inches of accumulation in coastal regions. There may be some damage to the burn scar areas of the state.
In northern California the 10-Day Feather River Basin forecast from Wednesday December 28 expects a total of almost 10 inches of precipitation to fall through January 7th – 367% of average. Shasta Lake should get rain almost every day through the 11th say forecasters, good news for the key reservoir in the state at drought levels to date.One weather model says the Sierra should see 15 inches of precipitation by January 12.
With all this precipitation forecast for the new year, analysts may have to reevaluate their dry-year predictions for 2023.Last year a wet December was followed by a bone dry January through March period.
Today snowpack is up with the southern Sierra snowpack listed at 163% of average as of December 28 and clearly more to come.
Faraday Future targets April car sales
Electric vehicle startup Faraday Future now says it will start production of new cars at their Hanford plant in late March with delivery in April 2023. The LA-based company said they have received $30 million from an existing investor. The company previously targeted production to begin last summer, then by the fourth quarter of 2022.
Lower prices yield lower almond acreage
Farmers say the high cost of water and other inputs as well as inflation coupled with lower demand are not covering costs to produce almonds in California this year. Now a new report by the Almond Board of California, carried out by Sacramento-based Land IQ says the nut’s total acreage declined for the first time in decades this year. New plantings are down 17 percent year over year.
“Land IQ’s report may indicate a possible trend toward lower California almond acreage in the year ahead,” ABC President and CEO Richard Waycott said in a news release this month.
The trend might be good news considering an overabundance of the nut currently.Exports have been hurt this year by the strong dollar.
Central Valley farmers are getting as little as $1.55/lb for almonds that fetched $4/lb in 2015. There has been an explosion of new plantings since then.