State sees drought and flooding all in one week.
Very little widespread rain has fallen across the Sunshine State this year, which has led to a worsening drought with every passing week.
RELATED: Storm Shield app provides life-saving weather alerts A stationary front parked itself over Florida, bringing a chance for rain and thunderstorms to the entire state nearly every day this week.
Despite the dry conditions, all this rain had nowhere to go, and it resulted in widespread flooding for many parts of the state.
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“Mother nature is telling us every night on the TV news now is like a nature hike through the book of Revelation,” Gore said on Fox News Sunday on June 4.
Seventy percent of Florida is in drought today…” Gore correctly cited a drought figure for Florida from the United States Drought Monitor, a weekly map published on Thursdays showing drought conditions.
The last time the drought monitor showed Florida’s area of drought as high as 71 percent was February 2013.
During two weeks in April 2012, 99.96 percent of Florida was in a drought.
Florida’s dry season normally runs from about November through May but a period of drought can run into summer, said Victor Murphy, climate service program manager for NOAA’s National Weather Service-Southern Region.
“Our current drought is no worse or more prolonged than any other drought we go through periodically.” This year the Florida Peninsula only received half of its normal rainfall during the dry season, leading to the most active wildfire season since 2011.
“There is an increasing temperature trend, and warmer temperatures lead to greater evapotranspiration rates, which can exacerbate these periods of drought,” Zierden said.
While Gore’s numerical statement about the drought is correct, David Nolan, who chairs the University of Miami’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences, cautioned against pointing to any particular weather event as proof of climate change.
“What matters most is global average temperature, because that drives sea level rise, which eventually will be the biggest problem.” Our ruling Gore correctly cited the United States Drought Monitor which showed that 71.66 percent of Florida was experiencing a drought for the week ending May 30 (and 76.4 percent this week).
“70 percent of Florida is in drought today.” — Al Gore on Sunday, June 4th, 2017 in an interview on Fox News Sunday

Drought restrictions lifted for Corpus Christi water users.
Corpus Christi residents now have enough water to keep their grass green and attract development, said Mayor Joe McComb as he announced revisions to the city’s drought contingency plan at a news conference June 5.
“That’s not the case.” He cited ExxonMobil’s decision to build the world’s largest steam cracker plant in San Patricio County as proof the city has plenty of water — for now and the future.
The water conservation plan was year-round.
In the case of a drought, Stage One restrictions, which encourage conservation and efficient use of water on a voluntary basis, kick in when Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon Reservoir drop below 50 percent.
Stage One would also kick in if Lake Texana drops below 40 percent.
With the addition of the Mary Rhodes pipeline, Lake Texana now provides about one-fourth of the city’s water.
Phase 2 takes over from there.
Phase 2 cost $154 million for the final stretch of pipeline to Corpus Christi.
“So we never have an interruption again even if we face a drought.”

OROVILLE CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Lake Oroville Spillways Work Continues, Updates on Related Activities.
In the past two weeks, Kiewit has focused on removing the lower 2,000 feet, or lower chute, of the gated flood control spillway (also known as the main spillway.)
Kiewit, last week, began preliminary foundation preparation work where portions of the new lower chute will be constructed.
Kiewit continues to use controlled blasting to break away rock and concrete from the portions of the chute that will be removed and replaced this year.
Board of Consultants (BOC) Memo 6 The sixth BOC memo was transmitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Lake levels update DWR will manage observed and forecasted reservoir inflow with necessary releases to achieve a safe and reasonable lake level into the fall that takes into account the needs for public safety first and foremost.
The lake level was 825 feet.
In 2015 there were 25,300 visitors and the lake level was 740 feet.
Siren for construction emergencies installed DWR on Friday tested a siren installed near the main spillway to alert workers on site of a construction-related emergency.
DWR is committed to informing the surrounding communities and the general public about the work being done to repair the spillways at Lake Oroville and related impacts to roads, recreation, public access and surrounding infrastructure and ecosystems.

SCIENCE NEWS: Salmon migrate through Delta despite bridge’s influence; Toxic algal bloom in Monterey; Acidified ocean water along West Coast; Understanding a river’s thermal landscape; and more ….
In science news this week: Chinook salmon and green sturgeon migrate through San Francisco Estuary despite large distortions in the local magnetic field produced by bridges; What caused the most toxic algal bloom ever observed in Monterey Bay?
; Illegal marijuana grow sites: A stain upon public lands; Poor predictions: The 2017 salmon season forecast; Acidified ocean water widespread along North America’s west coast; Taking stock: A Klamath biologist takes a look back; ‘Monster’ Lahontan cutthroat making a comeback; Understanding a river’s thermal landscape may be the key to saving it; and more … Chinook salmon and green sturgeon migrate through San Francisco Estuary despite large distortions in the local magnetic field produced by bridges: “Empirical evidence exists that some marine animals perceive and orient to local distortions in the earth’s main static geomagnetic field.
These included Chinook salmon smolts (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) that migrate downstream through the San Francisco Estuary to the Pacific Ocean and adult green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), which migrate upstream from the ocean through the estuary to their spawning habitat in the upper Sacramento River and return to the ocean after spawning occurs.
… ” Read more from PLOS One here: Chinook salmon and green sturgeon migrate through San Francisco Estuary despite large distortions in the local magnetic field produced by bridges What caused the most toxic algal bloom ever observed in Monterey Bay?
To forecast an index of abundance for Sacramento River Fall-run Chinook (SRFC) salmon, the largest population of salmon in the Central Valley, they use data on the number of fall-run Chinook jacks (two-year old fish) that returned to the river the previous fall.
… ” Read more from Science Daily here: Acidified ocean water widespread along North America’s west coast A spinning fish screen: “FISHBIO has helped install some large fish screens to prevent small fish from getting entrained in water diversions over the years, but sometimes we are reminded that fish screens come in all shapes and sizes.
… ” Read more from Science Daily here: Seacoast roads under new threat from rising sea level Turning the tide on plastic litter: “I can’t remember the last time I walked along the shore and didn’t see plastic debris.
It takes more than 400 years for each piece of plastic to degrade.
… ” Read more from the Cool Green Science blog here: Turning the tide on plastic litter Maven’s XKCD Comic Pick of the Week … Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post!

NOTICE OF OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT – Tulare Lake Bed De-designation.
From the State Water Resources Control Board:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) will accept comments on the proposed approval of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board’s (Central Valley Water Board) amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin that would remove MUN and AGR beneficial uses from groundwater within a horizontal and vertical designated portion of the Tulare Lake Bed (Basin Plan Amendment).
The Basin Plan Amendment was adopted by the Central Valley Water Board on April 6, 2017 (Resolution R5-2017-0032), and is available for review at: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/water_issues/salinity/tulare_lakebed_mun_evaluation/index.shtml Continue reading the notice here: notice_tulare lake Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post!
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NEWS WORTH NOTING: New PPIC report: Building drought resilience in California’s cities and suburbs; Folsom Dam Water Control Manual update out for public review; Lawsuit filed against DWR over Oroville Dam records.
This report looks at evolving state and local roles in managing urban water supply during drought, and lessons to help us better prepare for droughts of the future.
Folsom Dam Water Control Manual update out for public review From the Army Corps of Engineers: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District released a draft environmental document today addressing the proposed Folsom Dam Water Control Manual update.
The JFP includes a new control structure and a 3,027-foot-long spillway that will work in conjunction with the main dam to manage releases from Folsom Reservoir.
Public meetings are scheduled for June 14-15, 2017, to allow the public to learn more about the proposed update, ask questions of Corps staff and to submit comments.
The public meetings will be held: Wednesday June 14, 2017; 3-4:30 p.m. Sacramento Library Galleria 828 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814 Thursday June 15, 2017; 6-7:30 p.m. Folsom Community Center 52 Natoma Street Folsom, CA 95630 Scheduled for completion in October, the JFP is an approximately $900-million cooperative effort between the Corps, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Central Valley Flood Protection Board, California Department of Water Resources and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency designed to improve the safety of Folsom Dam and reduce flood risk for the Sacramento metropolitan area.
Lawsuit Filed Against DWR over Oroville Dam Records From AquAlliance: AquAlliance filed a lawsuit in state court on June 6, 2017 against the California Department of Water Resources (“DWR”) over its failure to release records related to the Oroville Dam main and emergency spillways crisis that started in February 2017.
On April 19, 2017 AquAlliance filed a Public Records Act (“PRA”) request to DWR to release records that explicitly pertained to the asbestos.
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——————— About News Worth Noting: News Worth Noting is a collection of press releases, media statements, and other materials produced by federal, state, and local government agencies, water agencies, and academic institutions, as well as non-profit and advocacy organizations.

The excess rainfall helped alleviate abnormally dry and drought conditions in parts of eastern Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
This week’s map reflects a one-category improvement in conditions in the drought/abnormally dry areas of South Carolina.
Recent rains also resulted in improvements to the drought/abnormally dry areas in northern and central Georgia as streamflow and soil moisture conditions improved.
In the southern part of the state, moderate (D1) and severe drought (D2) were reduced to areas that continue to show lingering dryness at 60- to 90-day timescales.
Extreme drought (D3) was removed and some areas near the coasts saw two-category improvements as recent rains totaled up to 7 inches.
Meanwhile, above-average rainfall in the eastern part of the state resulted in a reduction in the abnormally dry (D0) area.
Abnormally dry (D0) areas crept northward into parts of southern Oklahoma in response to precipitation deficits and corresponding dry soils and vegetation.
Pasture and crop conditions further deteriorated, resulting in the westward expansion of abnormal dryness (D0) and the introduction of moderate drought (D1) in the eastern part of the state.
Looking Ahead The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center forecast calls for continued rain June 7-14 across the South and eastern portions of the United States.
Author(s): Deborah Bathke, National Drought Mitigation Center Dryness Categories D0 … Abnormally Dry … used for areas showing dryness but not yet in drought, or for areas recovering from drought.

Kenya Lowers Growth Forecast as Drought Cuts Food Output.
Growth estimate may be cut to as low as 5.5%: Rotich Interest-rate caps constraining credit to small business Kenya will cut its growth forecast to reflect the impact of a drought that slashed agricultural output in East Africa’s biggest economy and left the country short of its staple food, Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich said.
Economic growth will probably be 5.7 percent this year, compared with an earlier estimate of 5.9 percent to 6 percent, Rotich said in an interview Wednesday at his office in the capital, Nairobi.
The forecast may be reduced further to 5.5 percent once an assessment of the March-May rains is completed, he said.
That’s underpinning growth of the construction industry, he said, while tourism, one of the country’s biggest generators of foreign exchange, is also “picking up.” Lower Estimates Cutting its forecast will bring the Treasury’s estimates more in line with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which have cut their predictions to 5.5 percent and 5.3 percent respectively.
The Charts That Show How Biggest Kenyan Banks Are Being Squeezed The government is trying to mitigate the impact of the caps by accelerating reforms that address the “root causes” of high interest rates in Kenya, Rotich said.
As the impact of reforms is felt “maybe the caps will become redundant over a period of time.” Credit to the private sector grew 4 percent in March, the slowest pace since 2003, according to central bank data.
“We don’t think that, from our standpoint, the caps are going to be sustainable for our economy,” Rotich said.
“Our preference is to let the markets decide.” Rotich declined to say when Kenya will return to the Eurobond market.
He said foreign debt sales would in future be used for “liquidity management,” as debt raised earlier matured, and the country could issue bonds with longer maturities after Senegal sold $1.1 billion of Eurobonds last month that will mature in 2033.

SMUD wants to increase the amount of water that will flow into its reservoirs when the next California drought hits.
The utility wants to double the size of its cloud seeding operation.
”We’re in a wet period it seems right now, but every year is different so we need to be ready for whatever comes our way,” SMUD civil engineer Dudley McFadden said.
McFadden says hydropower is key to decreasing SMUD’s reliance on fossil fuels.
Cloud-seeding works when silver iodide particles are sprayed up into a saturated cloud.
They act like a nucleus, which attracts super-cooled water vapor, which freezes into ice.
Once the ice becomes heavy enough it falls and melts to become rain.
“We estimate 3 to 7 percent and I can’t be any more precise than that,” McFadden said.
There are critics.
Despite the unknowns, SMUD is seeking to expand its cloud-seeding ahead of the next drought, planning for the time any extra rain will be welcome.