SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Warm temperatures are melting the incredible stockpile of snow in the Sierra, threatening California with a hard reckoning following a tumultuous winter.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
The Tulare Lake, which was once the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi River, has begun to refill between Fresno and Bakersfield, inundating farmland and Central Valley towns.
642 homes have been affected by the flooding so far, with 37 of those completely destroyed. Even more water is expected to flow down from the Sierra within the coming weeks, a phenomenon some experts are calling "The Big Melt."
"We're here for the long haul," said Gov. Gavin Newsom during a trip to the basin. He toured the inundated area on Tuesday, pledging state and federal support for the local farming economy.
"There's a small business we just visited that said business is already down because farmworkers can't afford a beer after work," Newsom said. "Others are concerned about what's coming in the next few weeks."
Some communities are saying they aren't receiving the emergency funding they need. The town of Corcoran, which houses a state prison, said it needs around $20 million for levee repairs, but may have to stop that work soon if it doesn't get more funding.
According to Dr. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, only 5% of the snowpack has melted so far, but a spike in temperature in the Central Valley is going to speed up these processes.
"These potential flood flows in some of the rivers in the Southern and Central Sierra over the next week or so are going to pump water into the Southern San Joaquin Valley, and the Tulare Lake Basin in particular, at a very rapid rate in the coming days," he warned.
DOWNLOAD the Audacy App
SIGN UP and follow KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
