Scientist: Calif. has slim chance of normal winter
By Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee
This is how dry it has been so far this season: California’s chances of having a normal “water year” have fallen to around 33 percent in much of the state, according to a federal scientist.
Michael Dettinger, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said those dismal odds are based on the amount of rain and snow that has fallen so far this year – and the history of how much precipitation California traditionally gets in the remaining months of the rainy season.
Dettinger said most of Northern California has either a 33 percent or 34 percent chance of having a normal water year.
