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According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, Southern California is now free of the worst drought conditions. While the rainfall over the past couple months was much needed, California is now experiencing some major flooding. Keep reading to learn more about what caused the Golden State to go from drought to flood so quickly this year. Atmospheric Rivers Atmospheric rivers are relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere (like rivers in the sky) that are responsible for most of the horizontal transport of water vapor outside of the tropics. These columns of vapor move with the weather, carrying an amount of water vapor roughly equivalent to the average flow of water at the mouth of the Mississippi River. When these atmospheric rivers make landfall, they often release precipitation. Flooding in California  La Nina and the cooler water in the tropics led to an abundance of the rivers. From the strained Oroville Dam to the flooding in San Jose, all this water can ...

On February 14th, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the State of California to supplement the areas affected by severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides. Read about the flooding in California over the past 2 months below: January Flooding in California After a long drought, California experienced major storms as the state rang in the new year. Throughout the month of January, areas across the state experienced major flooding. By mid-January, the Sierra snowpack was almost double the average for that time of year. Many reservoirs were running well above average and drought relief was lessened in Southern California. As of January 10th, the drought was erased for much of Northern California. This is the first time that all areas north of Interstate 80 in California are completely out of drought. Towards the end of the month, the state got pounded with flash floods, mudslides and ra...

Being prepared for a flood can not only help keep your family safe, it can also help minimize potential flood damage and accelerate recovery efforts. In addition to purchasing a flood insurance policy, there are things you can do to prepare for a flooding event. Today's blog focuses on developing a disaster supply kit. Flood Preparation During a flooding event, there will be a whirlwind of things going through your head. Preparing now, before flooding is imminent, will decrease your stress level during emergency situations and help things go more efficiently. One important step in preparing for a flood is creating a disaster supply kit. Below is a list of important things to include in your kit from FloodSmart.gov . Disaster Supply Kit Checklist Whether you need to grab a bag quickly and evacuate or you get trapped in your home during a flood, you want to have some items on hand for emergency situations. Bottled Water - You want to have at least 1 gallon of water pe...

While people across the country are looking forward to the warmer weather after a cold winter, there are some added flood risks associated with the spring season. Spring showers along with rapid snowmelt increase flood risks everywhere. According to the NOAA, flooding causes more damage in the United States than any other weather-related event. Now's the time to start preparing your community for the spring thaw, especially if you live in an area that's subject to a lot of snow. Keep reading to learn more about the spring thaw and what you can do to be prepared! The Spring Thaw  As the warmer temperatures of spring arrive, snow starts to melt. This snowmelt can produce large amounts of runoff in a short period of time. During the early spring, frozen soil prevents melting snow or rainfall from seeping into the ground. That water then runs into lakes, streams and rivers, causing excess water to spill over the banks. When you add spring storms to the mix, the result is often...

FEMA provides a variety of resources to help communities understand their flood risks. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are one of these important resources. There are three divisions of risk shown on these maps: high-risk, moderate-to-low risk and undetermined risk. By understanding what type of risk your community has, you can better prepare for flooding to mitigate some of the damage caused by flooding each year. Photo From: FloodSmart.gov What are Flood Maps?   Flood maps, known officially as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), show the flood risk in certain areas. Communities use the maps to set minimum building requirements for coastal areas and floodplains, lenders use them to determine flood insurance requirements and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses them to help determine what you should pay for flood insurance. Flood risks can change over time, and therefore the maps are updated. If your property's risk changes, your insurance costs and l...