California weathers El Nino, but wild weather not over

Several El Nino storms are expected to hit California in the coming weeks, but experts warn that the rainfall will not be enough to help the region recover from a historic drought.

A portion of the 5 Freeway is down to one flooded lane near Lankershim Boulevard Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, as heavy rains continue to pound the area.

Extensive flooding is occurring in the east end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, north toward Ventura County and throughout portions of Southern California.

“The combination of heavy snow and strong winds gusting to between 50 and 60 miles per hour will create winter storm conditions in the mountains, with blizzard conditions possible at times”, according to the NWS. Meanwhile, a high-surf warning is in effect for Ventura and Orange county coasts until 4 a.m. Friday.

The only potentially serious injury reported involved a man who was hospitalized Wednesday after his truck slid off Interstate 80 near the Nevada-California line and plunged several feet below into the Truckee River. A wildfire two years ago stripped away vegetation and loosened soil, and he feared the strong storms could bring it all down. That falls short of Browns 25 percent conservation mandate for a second straight month, although board chairwoman Felicia Marcus said the state remains on track to meet his overall goal.“The fact that per-person water use dropped to 75 gallons per person per day on average is proof that Californians are clearly thinking twice before turning on the tap, ” Marcus said in a statement. “It was quickly building up behind the house and I knew it could come right inside”.

Early Wednesday morning, crews were able to re-open both Cathedral Canyon in Cathedral City and Indian Canyon in Palm Springs at the wash, after they were shut down overnight due to flood waters.

Driving rain also inundated the San Francisco Bay Area, causing almost two dozen crashes among commuters, toppling trees and flooding streets and streams.

Despite these storms, Shawn Coburn says growers like him, working thousands of acres in the western San Joaquin Valley, expect no water this year from the federal government’s vast system of reservoirs and canals.

One of the most powerful El Ninos on record has brought torrential rain to California.

Despite the potential for flooding and mudslides, the wet weather in California was welcome news for the state suffering from a severe drought. But officials warned against reverting to old water-use habits.

“We’re pretty much not happy campers doing this, but we’ve got to do it just to get the freight on the other side”, truck driver Chris Ifo said.

Recent storms have been enhanced by El Nino, the significant warming of the surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean.