NOLA is below sea level. Think swamp. The pumps can only handle an inch an hour. NOLA should never have been built in a bowl.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Looks like NOLA after a summer thunderstorm. On the gulf coast ten inches of rain is not uncommon. How much rain did you get?

I'm seeing about 2.5".

I'm happy to take one for the team and be washed out to sea with the bottom half of this "state."

Or just the first mile of coast starting south of Sonoma on down. That would make a sizeable dent.

I'd put every dollar I have the he/she flight attendant and his/her boyfriend are residing in that area. Be better off without those 2 clowns. That's for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
That doesn't seem like rain flooding per se. As in a river flooded over a dyke.

We're getting both...not quite that bad, but it isn't over yet.

I have friends in the hills who are cut off because the creek has flooded over the roadway to their area. Likely won't wash out like it did the last time we had a heavy rain, because they reinforced it when they rebuilt it.

So smaller local rural communities were evacuated for fear of being floored by local streams raising, then they were told to shelter in place when the roads were cut off by the raising water. One of the best maintained (leads to a uppity golf course community) rural highways in the area, Jackson Rd/Hwy 16, has flooded cutting off Rancho Murietta

Major parking lots look a lot like they are on the way to that pictured...they are built right next to a drainage canal so it should get too high. Likely to wash out the homeless camp built on the banks of the canal.

Saw some pictures of local ranges and all the bays are at least half under water...and we just recently addresses drainage earlier this year

Yes. I’ve noticed that freeways are closed in many locations in the area. And 80 to Tahoe is indicated as closed through Sunday at least. There are some lakes that are approaching capacity despite being at very low levels during the summer.

I wonder if more sessions like this are expected for the next couple of months. Is this only the first to come?

There’s a sort of deadman’s curve where the road is getting closed repeatedly because of accidents in the rain. It’s no longer surprising when the road gets closed. I’ve been detoured twice this week and I hardly drive these days let alone that road.

Well, another "river" is expected mid-week. Moderate to strong, and with the soil already saturated.

This is the lagoon across the street from me. Looks like we're inches away from flooding. Wish I still had my old Jeep with the snorkel.

UPDATE: apparently some of the residences on the slough side of the street did suffer serious flooding.


Flood 2022 by kpkina, on Flickr

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kkina,

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Yes. I’ve noticed that freeways are closed in many locations in the area. And 80 to Tahoe is indicated as closed through Sunday at least. There are some lakes that are approaching capacity despite being at very low levels during the summer.

New Melones is up 8 feet since yesterday. I think that is still about 200 feet shy of full, though.

I imagine the dam operators are trying to balance capturing what is prudent while weighing that against the potential for a wet winter and a big snow pack. It seems to me it is a bit of a balancing act.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I wonder if more sessions like this are expected for the next couple of months. Is this only the first to come?

A break today and a light storm tomorrow before the next big one rows in Wednesday/Thursday

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
This is the lagoon across the street from me. Looks like we're inches away from flooding. Wish I still had my old Jeep with the snorkel.

I thought I read that San Francisco got almost 6" this week.

I used to live out in the avenues (33rd/Geary) and we seldom saw flooding...everything either drained toward downtown or the beaches

Levels are way back down today. Amazing the difference a day makes. Maybe they opened some floodgates or something. But as mentioned, another system due mid-week, and now the soil is saturated.

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
But as mentioned, another system due mid-week, and now the soil is saturated.

Yup, this could get really ugly with trees and fences.

I saw where they closed off the Great Highway because of a mudslide out by the Cliff House

Is Lake Mead filling back up?

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by konata88:
Yes. I’ve noticed that freeways are closed in many locations in the area. And 80 to Tahoe is indicated as closed through Sunday at least. There are some lakes that are approaching capacity despite being at very low levels during the summer. [/QUOTE
New Melones is up 8 feet since yesterday. I think that is still about 200 feet shy of full, though.

I imagine the dam operators are trying to balance capturing what is prudent while weighing that against the potential for a wet winter and a big snow pack. It seems to me it is a bit of a balancing act.

New Melones was almost amply wasn’t it ? A childhood friend lives in murphy’s and posted photos of the old buildings at the bottom can be seen from the town they flooded when it was built.

Others live in Modesto and Tracy and they were concerned last night seems to be subsided. As they are all madly group texting about the Niners/raiders game.

580 east between Livermore and Tracy was a shitshow all night and maybe closed now due to uncountable number of potholes.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
Is Lake Mead filling back up?

No, the heavy rains are much further north.

Lake Mead

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:
New Melones was almost amply wasn’t it ? A childhood friend lives in murphy’s and posted photos of the old buildings at the bottom can be seen from the town they flooded when it was built.

Others live in Modesto and Tracy and they were concerned last night seems to be subsided. As they are all madly group texting about the Niners/raiders game.

580 east between Livermore and Tracy was a shitshow all night and maybe closed now due to uncountable number of potholes.

It was pretty low. I remember reading in August that it was at a level not seen in many years. I think it may have been below all usable boat ramps, but I'm not sure. Not much of a boater.

I have had some tremendous success winter fishing from the bank there, though.

This is probably a stupid question and I most likely know the answer but does CA have any means to capture this water for future use? Maybe divert some of the reparation money to build some water resources.

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmepiphany:

quote:

Originally posted by kkina:
This is the lagoon across the street from me. Looks like we're inches away from flooding. Wish I still had my old Jeep with the snorkel.

I thought I read that San Francisco got almost 6" this week.

I used to live out in the avenues (33rd/Geary) and we seldom saw flooding...everything either drained toward downtown or the beaches

Usually you saw flooding when the first rains of the season would hit. Drains invariably would be backed up with trash that was washed together and, depending on neighborhood, the accumulation of fallen leaves would clog-up the drains. Public works would get out there and unclog those problem drains.

These days, here it is, beginning of the new year we've had 4-5 storms roll through since early-Nov, it seems with the great number of homeless/mental encampments scattered all about, there's a greater likelihood of garbage & trash getting into the drainage systems and screwing up the water flow, thus creating more problems than the system could handle.

It's still an immense amount of water this system and next has brought, hwy-101 in Marin and around SFO will always flood during heavy rainfall, as will Russian River and those communities will hit the news as are the usual flood prone parts of southern Sonoma.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
This is probably a stupid question and I most likely know the answer but does CA have any means to capture this water for future use? Maybe divert some of the reparation money to build some water resources.

A lengthy and complicated question.

- The reservoir system in Northern California is arguably the largest and most complex in the country, some of the largest man-made lakes and dams exist here. Control of water in the West equals power; many, many books and studies revolve around this topic.

- The delta smelt, a tiny bait fish, was declared an endangered species back in early 90's. In order to protect this fish, water from the various reservoirs have to be released in order to maintain a low-enough water temperature through the delta region of where the Sacramento & San Joaquin Rivers join and empty into SF Bay. You read that right, water, which could be saved for household use, and agriculture, is legally mandated to be released in order help a tiny minnow-sized fish, stay alive.

- Snow pack in the Sierras must have a high enough water content and must last deep through Summer and into Fall in order to maintain a constant flow of water run-off, to be captured by the above reservoirs. If the snowpack melts too early or, too fast, then it'll overwhelm the existing system and thus the flood gates have to be opened.

- Enviros early in the 70's campaigned to have many reservoirs dismantled. Some of these dams were rightfully too old and had served their time before more modern solutions had come about. The campaign nevertheless continues as the one-party legislature continues to appease these groups. Improvement proposals to existing infrastructure resembles an exercise in obstructionism than any kind of progression and modern development. No surprise these groups are also anti-nuclear, anti-fishing/hunting, anti-wood burning, anti-natural gas, anti-....you get the picture, real progressives

- The West is a dry place, it doesn't rain for 4-6 months straight, there's no Summer humidity or, afternoon showers, like there is East of the Rockies. Occasionally we're get that far reaching tropical storm that comes up from Baja and we'll get a brief downpour. Droughts are common, how long they last and the intensity of them seems to be cyclical.

- With all of the above, the current system has very little margin for anomalies and emergencies.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
This is probably a stupid question and I most likely know the answer but does CA have any means to capture this water for future use? Maybe divert some of the reparation money to build some water resources.

Not a stupid question at all. We certainly went from drought to floods quickly. It's too soon to call whether the drought is officially over.