After suffering for months of the harshest winter recorded in the Golden State's history, most news centers in California are reporting that it is receiving greater than normal amounts of precipitation in the last few days that it has in 40 years.
It has suffered one of the worst severe snowfalls in history that its snowpack has gone up to 25 feet in some places. After the six-year drought that has caused a massive loss in income, livestock, and plants, the snowpack and reservoirs are now on the verge of destruction. Persistent rain that lasts for days has flooded a number of areas including towns that run along the Russian River in the North of California.
In Guerneville, residents have been reported to paddle their way around town as the river reached its limit up to 45 feet high. As the rain continues, the flood and the mudslides have destroyed roads and wrecked homes across the state.
Scientists have predicted that the amount of precipitation California is getting at the moment, will remain to be close to constant even in the future. The worst part is that it will rain only for a short period of time but double the amount of rainfall each time.
California is suffering from a variable climate. It has seen the extremes of drought and the extremes of winter. The dramatic shift in the weather conditions in the state has indeed put a lot of lives at risk. And as global warming continue to rise by the day it only adds to the infliction. From a long period of dry seasons to extreme winter conditions, it gives a good indication of what's bound to come.
Although the situation seems dire, it also provides an opportunity to learn about how to mitigate the risks of one situation to save the rest of the community from losing everything. Councils are able to plan ahead and to reconsider the improvement of its infrastructure, especially the aging ones.
