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The AccuWeather.com Long-Range Forecasting Team reported that while the worst of winter will be focused over the Midwest and Northwest, it does not mean other parts of the country are off the hook.
A weak to moderate La Niña is a key factor in the 2011-2012 Winter Forecast with more typical La Nina winter conditions expected.
"La Niña, a phenomenon that occurs when sea surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific are below normal, is what made last year's winter so awful for the Midwest and Northeast," AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Heather Buchman stated in the initial release of the 2011-2012 Winter Forecast.
La Niña winters feature a stronger Northern jet stream, an area of strong winds high above the Earth's surface. This positioning and strength of the jet stream tends to cause storms to track across the northern tier, spelling harsh winters from the Northern Plains to the Ohio Valley.
Typically, the southern tier of the U.S. ends up mild and dry in a La Niña winter. There will be some exceptions to that this year with wet weather anticipated for parts of the Lower Mississippi Valley.
Another big factor in the winter forecast is the potential for a blocking pattern to develop with the NAO, or North Atlantic Oscillation, possibly turning negative for a time. This essentially means that a large area of high pressure could set up over Greenland, forcing cold blasts to reach the U.S.
"The lack of sea ice has been believed to contribute to the development of blocking. This past summer and early fall, sea ice reached near-record low levels," according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Paul Pastelok and the Long-Range Forecasting Team that he leads still think Old Man Winter will leave the biggest impression on the northern Rockies, northern Plains and the Midwest.
It will be a snowier-than-usual season for the Midwest, which will lie to the north and west of the frequent storm track, or in the "sweet spot" of the storms.
Typical of a La Niña year, the harshest cold will blast the northern Plains and northern Rockies.
Winter looking wetter for California, still stormy for Northwest
The 2011-2012 Winter Forecast was updated to show even more rain and snow for northern and central California with the Pacific jet stream expected to hover over this area for most of the winter season.
Farther inland, this winter is expected to be another active one for the northern Sierra and interior Northwest with above-normal snowfall forecast.
In contrast, the Pacific Northwest, including much of Washington and western Oregon, will get some breaks from the wet weather.
"Watch for a 'Pineapple Connection' during the mid- to late season that will send some areas well above-normal precipitation," Pastelok said. This means "snow in the mountains and rain and mudslides in the valleys."
Also known as the "Pineapple Express," the Pineapple Connection is a phenomenon that occurs when a strong, persistent flow of tropical moisture sets up from the Hawaiian islands to the West Coast of the U.S. This phenomenon often leads to excessive rain and incredible snow events.
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Todd Allen Drawdy, 45, whose booking sheet lists his occupation as self-employed in the construction business, was arrested on Nov. 30 by Det. Kellie Joseph, who recently joined the sheriff’s office detective division, according to jail records.
Drawdy is being held at at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility on felony charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, oral copulation with a child under 14, oral copulation with a person under 18, sexual penetration with a foreign object, aggravated sexual assault of a minor by force, continuous sexual assault of a minor by force and violation of his probation.
Capt. James Bauman said sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Kelseyville High School on Nov. 18 where faculty had developed information that one of their students had been the victim of sexual abuse.
Further investigation revealed that Drawdy had allegedly been committing continued acts of molestation and sexual abuse on at least one victim for the past eight years. Bauman said the case was then turned over to the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit.
With the assistance of the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, on Nov. 29, Lake County detectives coordinated an extensive interview with the victim in Sonoma County where she has been staying with relatives since the investigation began, Bauman said.
The following day, on Nov. 30, sheriff’s detectives located Drawdy at his home in Lucerne and arrested him, according to Bauman.
Earlier this year, the Lake County District Attorney’s Office had turned over two other cases involving Drawdy to the Attorney General’s Office because Don Anderson, elected district attorney last year, had previous legal-related interactions with Drawdy, which created a conflict of interest for his office, as Lake County News reported in April.
The earlier cases turned over to the Attorney General’s Office involved charges against Drawdy of misdemeanor annoying or molesting a child and a probation violation, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Because of that existing conflict, Bauman said it’s anticipated the most recent case against Drawdy also will be filed with the Attorney General’s Office.
Sheriff’s detectives also anticipate identifying additional victims as their investigation continues, Bauman said.
Anyone who may have information regarding this case is encouraged to contact Det. Joseph at 707-262-4233.
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NAPA COUNTY, Calif. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Napa County officials on Friday announced the details of nearly $3.3 million in federal, state and local funding aimed at restoring water quality and riparian and aquatic habitats in the Napa River watershed.
As part of two major restoration efforts covering 15 miles of the Napa River, more than 40 landowners have committed to converting nearly 135 acres of farmland to wildlife habitat.
Regional steelhead and Chinook salmon populations have suffered steep declines as a result of high concentrations of fine sediment in the Napa River, which clouds spawning gravel.
In-stream erosion has degraded the once complex channel, severely reducing rearing habitat for these species.
The river, which runs 55 miles from Mt. St. Helena to the San Pablo Bay, is also prone to seasonal flooding from November to April.
“Despite long-term habitat degradation and falling fish populations, the Napa River represents one of the most important watersheds within the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary for the recovery of regional steelhead populations,” said EPA Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest, Jared Blumenfeld. “This $1.5 million EPA grant will help manage erosion, improve spawning gravel, and create habitat for critically endangered salmon.”
At a press conference along the banks of the Napa River in Rutherford, with fall run Chinook salmon spawning below, U.S. EPA Administrator Jared Blumenfeld was joined by U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson, County Supervisor Diane Dillon, and key federal, state and local officials to highlight the pioneering private-public partnership designed to improve water quality and salmon habitat and address eroding streambanks within this important agricultural area.
The Napa River has cut down so much that it’s up to three times deeper than it once was, creating vertical stream banks up to 30 feet high. In some locations the banks have become unstable and subject to catastrophic collapse. The river channel is also much narrower than before, making flows more erosive.
To stabilize river banks and create wildlife habitat, vineyard owners in the Rutherford area have committed to converting 20 acres of agriculture land back to river habitat.
Landowners are continuing the restoration of the Napa River south of Rutherford between Oakville and Oak Knoll in the Napa Valley and in total, have committed to restoring more than 115 acres.
“Today’s announcement is a win for our environment, wildlife, and economy,” said Rep. Thompson (D-St. Helena). “We are reducing erosion and sediment runoff, we are improving steelhead and Chinook salmon habitat, and we are strengthening the Napa River which is at the heart of our economy, giving life to agriculture and our thriving wine industry that pumps more than $61 billion into our economy every year. I thank the grape growers and landowners for their partnership and commitment to this restoration process.”
The Napa River historically supported a run of 6,000 to 8,000 steelhead, but by the late 1960s those numbers had declined to an estimated 2,000 adults. Today the steelhead run is estimated to be less than a few hundred adults.
The EPA grant will help restore Napa River water quality by implementing several priority actions of the Napa River Sediment total maximum daily load (TMDL) and habitat enhancement plan.
The grant, with nearly $1.8 Million in matching and leveraged funds, will restore a nearly mile-long section of the Napa River in Rutherford to improve steelhead and Chinook habitat and water quality, complete restoration design along an additional 3.9 miles of the Napa River in Oakville and eradicate five acres of invasive non-native Giant Reed and plant native riparian trees.
It also will assist ranchers to reduce erosion on 80 percent of Napa watershed grazing lands in the watershed, implement BMPs to reduce sediment runoff from rural roads and stream crossings throughout the watershed and establish a tracking system to advance water quality improvements through increased accountability.
The primary grant recipient is Napa County, in partnership with the Napa County Resource Conservation District, the California Land Stewardship Institute, U.C. Cooperative Extension and the Rutherford Dust Restoration Team of the Rutherford Dust Society landowner group.
The grant builds on more than two decades of local stewardship involving landowners, the County, elected officials and partner agencies.
“We are very grateful to be receiving this grant from EPA and also grateful to all our other project partners in restoring the Napa River, including the voters in Napa County who approved County Measure ‘A,’ which has been vital in making all this possible,” said Napa County Supervisor Diane Dillon.
The Napa River watershed has many active stakeholders showcasing environmental innovation and leadership, and represents an opportunity to succeed in minimizing polluted runoff, restoring impaired waters, maintaining native fisheries and implementing pollution standards.
“The River Restoration Project is striking a balance between economy and ecology,” said local vintner and land manager Davie Pina. “Landowners, the community, and government are investing equitably in the preservation of our environmental and agricultural heritage for the benefit of future generations.”
The EPA has been active in the Napa River watershed providing technical and financial assistance since the early 1990s. Since 2007, Napa has received approximately $4.8 Million in EPA grants for sediment management.
The grant funding source is $22 million appropriated since 2008 for San Francisco Bay, currently supporting 38 projects, with 53 organizations leveraging and matching more than $42 million.
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LUCERNE, Calif. – A Thursday vehicle rollover that ended up with a car on the lakeshore resulted in no injuries, according to initial information provided by the California Highway Patrol and witnesses.
The single-vehicle incident occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m. on Highway 20 at Bel Ray Avenue in Lucerne, according to the CHP.
The vehicle, heading eastbound, went off the road, rolled over and came to rest on its wheels on the lake’s edge, about 30 feet off the roadway, according to the CHP and witness reports.
A young man was driving the vehicle with an older man sleeping in the passenger seat when the vehicle went off the road. A witness reported that the driver said he was blinded by the sun, which led to him going off the road.
The car’s two occupants were able to get out of the car and reported they were OK, according to reports from the scene.
The men were seen by medical personnel; the CHP’s preliminary report indicated they were not injured.
A tow truck was called to the scene, as reports indicated the vehicle would need to be pulled up over boulders in order to get it off the shoreline.
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