The continuing California drought

It's winter, right?!

Major California Drought Could Spell 'Catastrophe' for Nation's Food Supply

'Possibly hundreds of thousands of acres of land will go fallow' in California

Jacob Chamberlain, staff writer

Common Dreams,

14 January, 2014

A major and unyielding drought in California is causing concern in the nation's "food basket," as farmers there say the U.S. food supply could be hit hard if the conditions in their state don't rapidly improve, Al Jazeera America reports Tuesday.

"This is the driest year in 100 years,” grower Joe Del Bosque told Al Jazeera, expressing concern that the hundreds of workers he employs for each year's harvest could be without a job this season.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 2013 was the driest on record for most areas of California, "smashing previous record dry years" across the state, including regions where approximately half the fruits, vegetables and nuts in the U.S. are grown.

Those conditions have not relented as 2014 begins with most of the state experiencing official 'severe' or 'extreme drought' conditions.

And as Al Jazeera reports, reservoirs, which store water that flows from the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada mountains, are at less than 50 percent capacity—20 percent below average for this time of year.

“That’s rather dismal,” said Nancy Vogel, spokeswoman for the California Department of Water Resources. “If we don’t get big storms to build up that snow pack, we can’t expect much in reservoirs.”

Additionally, earlier this month firefighters were forced to Northern California to battle wildfires that were unprecedented for the time of year, and officials are concerned more fires could be on the way.

Fire experts in the state are worried, The San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this month, "because January is a time of year when the northern reaches of the state normally are too wet to ignite."

"It's unprecedented for us to do this in January," said Battalion Chief Mike Giannini, whose Marin County Fire Department is one of the first to be called upon to send aid north.

"We've sent crews this early in the year in the past to Southern California, because their fire season never seems to end," Giannini said. "But not up there. Not to places like Humboldt, which has coastal, high-humidity, forested types of conditions we would normally equate with low fire danger."

All of these conditions, particularly those in mid-to-nothern California, where a large percentage of U.S. food is produced, have implications far beyond the state. As the Al Jazeera report continues:

The drought’s effects will ripple far beyond the fields. Consumers can expect tighter supplies and higher prices for some fruits and vegetables by summer. And farm suppliers will feel the pinch.

“We’re in the middle of what potentially is looking like a huge catastrophe,” said Ryan Jacobsen, chief executive of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. “We’re looking at some very harsh realities, as far as water allocations.”

“Possibly hundreds of thousands of acres of land will go fallow,” Jacobsen said.

California Red Flag Warnings Cause Fire 

Low humidity, drought and Santa Ana winds have firefighters on high alert in the Golden State.

Southern California Wildfire Risk Remains High as Santa Ana Winds Continue

Weather.com

15 January, 2014

Large swaths of California remained at risk for wildfires Wednesday as dry and windy weather conditions persisted.

Red flag warnings for critical fire weather conditions were posted from Santa Barbara County south through Los Angeles to the U.S.-Mexico border, along the spine of the Sierra Nevada, and in areas east and north of San Francisco Bay.

(MORE: Fire Weather Alerts)

"Following the driest year on record, 2014 is kicking off as what may be the driest January on record in many locations in California," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman.

Fires that struck windy areas of the state on Tuesday were quickly quashed by large deployments of firefighters, aircraft and other equipment before the flames could be stoked by gusts into major conflagrations.

Three homes and outbuildings were damaged on Kimball Island, a marshy slip of land in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

East of Los Angeles, several residences and dozens of vehicles were destroyed by a 2-acre blaze in Riverside County's Jurupa Valley.

(WATCH: Weathering Disaster - A Wildfire Escape)

Among Tuesday's most dramatic incidents was a brief fire that swept up the steep face of Los Angeles' Pacific Palisades, snarling traffic on Pacific Coast Highway below.

Aircraft swooped in with water drops as firefighters unleashed streams from hoses, preventing damage to multimillion-dollar ocean-view homes.

Large parts of Southern California below mountain passes, canyons and foothills have been buffeted all week by the region's notorious Santa Ana winds.

Spawned by surface high pressure over the interior of the West, the Santa Anas form as the cold air flows toward Southern California, then speeds up and warms as it descends in a rush toward the coast. Some of the most extreme gusts reported by the National Weather Service topped 70 mph.

These offshore winds also raise temperatures to summerlike levels. Many areas have enjoyed temperatures well into the 80s.

California is also under the influence of a persistent upper-level ridge of high pressure anchored off its north coast that has also kept the region generally warm, dry and clear.

"San Francisco typically picks up just over 11 inches of rain through early June," said Erdman. "However, December, January and February are the three wettest months, so this complete lack of rain during the core of the wet season is worrisome."