Drought in California, November 1 to 30, 2016

Name: Drought in California, November 1 to 30, 2016
Start: 2016-11-01T00:00
End: 2016-11-30T23:59
Location: California

November 1 to 30, 2016 · NWS HNX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

The California drought continues during the month of November, 2016. 38 precipitation during the month.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HNX wrote it up.

The California drought continues during the month of November, 2016. Fresno received 1.38 of precipitation and Bakersfield received 0.38 precipitation during the month. Fresno had slightly above normal precipitation while Bakersfield had slightly below normal precipitation. The near normal precipitation amounts and above normal temperatures we received this month did allow for increased evaporation rates and soil moisture to slightly decrease.

The U.S. Drought Monitor continued to report exceptional drought conditions across the entire Central California region. This extent of exceptional drought is extremely unusual for California. The general trend of below normal precipitation and above normal temperatures has continued this year.

There continues to be significant media coverage on the on-going drought conditions. These reports include discussion of significant re-allocation of water resources from the east to west side of the San Joaquin Valley, farmers forgoing planting of some crops, loss or reduction of ground water, wells drying up in several communities leaving them with no water, and an unprecedented increase in fire danger across the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains. Also, communities in Central California interior face state mandated reductions in municipal water use.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 31, 12:49 PM PST, 11 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 31, 12:49 PM PST, 11 hours 11 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley - Hanford CA
149 PM PDT Mon Oct 31 2016

.SYNOPSIS...
A low pressure system is expected to bring a slight chance of
showers, primarily from Merced County to Yosemite. Otherwise,
patchy dense fog across the San Joaquin Valley will be possible
each night and morning, mainly from Wednesday until Saturday,
as high pressure returns.

&&

.DISCUSSION...A low pressure system will move across northern
California overnight tonight and is currently a few hundred miles
off the coast of Cape Mendocino. As of this writing, an upper-
level impulse is currently bringing light showers over
northwestern CA. Expect the low pressure system to pass over
northern CA tonight, while its associated trough to moves
southward tonight over the region. Most of the moisture and
dynamics are expected to remain over northern CA, but a slight
chance for showers from Merced County to Yosemite remains for
tonight into early Tue AM. Elsewhere, patchy fog is possible in
the west/northwest-facing areas in the Tehachapi Mountains and
in the San Joaquin Valley tonight into the morning hours on
Tuesday.

High pressure will build over the region starting Tuesday night
into Wednesday, so we anticipate additional fog development, with
more widespread dense fog possible, in the San Joaquin Valley
each night and morning through at least Saturday as the ridge of
high pressure persists. Otherwise, expect mostly clear skies
across the region through this period. Temperatures are expected
to rise to slightly above average for early November by late this
week and Saturday.

On Sunday, models have been trending the next low pressure system
a little further south, but moisture and dynamics are still
expected to pass over northern California. Therefore, we still
left the forecast dry for now, although cloud cover was slightly
bumped up. Also lowered high temperatures a few degrees for Sunday
and next Monday, although are forecast to remain around average.

&&

.AVIATION...In the San Joaquin Valley, areas of MVFR and IFR
visibilities in mist between 11Z and 18Z today with local LIFR in fog
between 13Z and 17Z today. In the Tehachapi mountains, areas of MVFR
and local IFR in upslope clouds until 18Z today. In the southern
Sierra Nevada, areas of MVFR and local mountain obscuring IFR in
showers after 03Z Tue. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail
elsewhere in the central CA interior during the next 24 hours.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...In the San Joaquin Valley, local MVFR
visibilities in mist between 10Z and 18Z. In the Tehachapi
mountains, areas of MVFR and local IFR in upslope clouds after
06z. In the southern Sierra Nevada, areas of mountain obscuration
and rain showers 06Z to 18z Tue. Otherwise, VFR conditions will
prevail elsewhere in the central CA interior during the next 24
hours. None.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

The level of certainty for days 1 and 2 is high.
The level of certainty for days 3 through 7 is medium.

Certainty levels include low...medium...and high. Please visit
www.weather.gov/hnx/certainty.php for additional information
an/or to provide feedback.

&&

.HNX Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NONE.
&&

public...BSO
avn/fw...MV
synopsis...Andersen

weather.gov/hanford