AquariusRadar

California Water selling for $867 per acre foot on the commodities exchange. Looks like maybe speculation around NOAA long range forecasts may be a bigger factor in price moves than Cal farmers hedging to minimize risk. The price does take a modest tumble after the Xmas AR; but why would it go to 670 or so and stay there during the very dry Jan-Feb?

The upper level dryness index remains low and the pattern of values looks much like the week before the Xmas AR.

Rain predicted 27-29 for the Sierras including the southern half. The upper water vapor still damp so the MMm-March Miracle maybe- still possible.

Okay- I gotta ask....What kinda tree makes spiky balls?

Short range forecast calling rain likely as far south as SLO. Hope the trough keeps digging down for some more rain in SoCal.

The money giveaway continues in pursuit of the "reservoir storage" dream to solve our water problems. California has plenty of storage capacity. We just need rain to fill em up! 5 billion $ to create the Sites reservoir? Sites dam and reservoir https://apnews.com/article/business-mountains-environment-california-droughts-d6bad431e38b4e1a377fdbcf40bea6bd Make a lot of jobs. So would building an aqueduct. It's 350 miles-as the crow flies- more like 550 If the I5 route were followed- from Portland/Columbia river to the top of the Sacramento valley. The interstate is wide enough for a big aqueduct plus we already own the right of way.

There was a curious little patch of showers yesterday that started just south of Indio and floated down to the border. I think maybe it was generated by an onshore eddy or an eddy that came ashore. Observers do sometimes mention eddys. Here is an article by NASA about SoCal eddys.SoCal Eddy https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/80591/catalina-eddy I say curious because that there must be some limited moisture in the area and something to create the instability. Daytime heating? Do eddys always rotate ccw? Are they mini low pressure systems?

The ITCZ thunderstorm activity has suddenly increased and the dry air index has taken a plunge down from recent very high values. Those high values kept all of January very dry. The March Miracle still possible,

As is frequently the case, when it occurs, the full on ENSO/La Nina is creating flooding for the eastern coastal regions of Australia. Aquariusradar could be used to temper coastal storms, reducing flooding rainfall, and moving some of the moisture inland and possibly over the coast mountains to the dry interior. It is still warm there and limited snow would be expected on the higher peaks, but orographic lifting would promote rainfall and the filling of reservoirs on the mountain rivers. Using aquariusradar during La Nina periods would encourage the construction of new storage reservoirs at higher elevations above the coastal plain.

This original article from the Fresno Bee Sierra Forest https://www.yahoo.com/news/uc-researchers-omit-key-evidence-203544768.html Glad that someone else considers the North study report that suggests most of the trees of the Sierra Forests should be logged to slow fire danger is biased and most likely funded by the timber industry. The water cycle cannot exists without trees.

Wow! Fort Huachuca. Brings back some memories. Spent 64-67 there- great weather. It's a part of Arizona to appreciate.

This makes sense. From the Modesto Bee Solar panels on canal https://www.modbee.com/news/business/agriculture/article258071918.html

Scratchy throat. Cough cough! Whoopty Do! Could be Covid. Better have that test.

Here is an interesting article hydro battery - about the hydro pumping battery, the nations biggest and growing energy storage method. This could be used to power an east (wet) to west (dry) aqueduct. A percentage of the solar and wind energy stored would be used to power the lift and overcome the friction of the water flow up and down mountains along the route from the southeast (75+ inches per year) to AZ and SoCal (15+ inches per year). That stored energy not consumed by the aqueduct flow would enter the grid along the path of the aqueduct. https://news.yahoo.com/batteries-hyped-pumped-hydro-provides-134534458.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Reg has the best weather records.

The snow and almost alpine environment on Mt. Pinos is important for the Hollywood film industry if they ever want to make a cheapo remake of The Sound of Music. Of course, the marine layer and misty Manhattan Beach are important if ever a good remake of The Fog is done. The first remake of the film was a flop cause the filming was in British Columbia, not California as the original.

A little snow on Mt. Pinos

16 ft. of snow at Tahoe. Beginning to doubt the ENSO/La Nina concept of "less precipitation during La Nina" in California. Summary of storm totals so far in this original LA Times article Sierra Snow https://www.yahoo.com/news/photos-record-snowfall-blankets-sierra-225848713.html

Upper level low between Hawaii and SoCal kicking up some thunderstorms and some of that high level moisture could get pulled north if that cyclone over Seattle dives straight south. Potential setup for more rain and snow.

Those pictures at Frazier Mountain web site are disappointing. Here is what Pinos should look like. Wkipedia says that there was a ski area on the north ridge with a rope tow line in the 1960's. I don't remember that. Just a teenager then so remembering stuff just carried right along to old age.

Mt. Pinos reports 6" at 8000' and 18" at 8900' peak. The web cam there should have good snow pictures if the sun comes out. Here is link Mt. Pinos snow http://www.frazmtn.com/fmcoc/snowcond.htm

Considerable upper level moisture streaming into SOCAL. This could be a significant rain event for SOCAL and Arizona.

One of the arguments to nullify the aquariusradar idea that might be put forward is that there is no scientific basis for thinking it would work. To the contrary, the idea is supported by the "butterfly effect" of chaos theory that is generally accepted by weather scientists. The early work of Edward Lorenz has promoted weather research so that today it is a top discipline in physics. This year Klaus Hasselmann and Syukuro Manabe received the Nobel prize for physics for their work on climate change models. Much of that modeling is based on the earlier work of Lorenz. While he never won the Nobel, Lorenz received numerous awards and accolades in the scientific community. Another anti-science argument might be that microwave energy cannot heat (speed up) water molecules. That's wrong of course. A low powered microwave oven can heat water to boiling and beyond. A larger microwave source-like a radar- can heat water in a cloud by a tiny amount at a much greater distance (20 miles?). That tiny heating effect is the "butterfly wing flapping", repeated many times as the radar sends out pulses of energy hundreds of times per second. That repetitive heating, while tiny, impacts the CN cloud development in a big way as the cloud development is non-linear. A tiny change at the start makes for big changes in growth (height?) of the dynamic CN cell. It doesn't work on less active strataform type clouds as those are slow to develop and are not dynamic but rather static in nature. The heating induced by the microwave energy inhibits the growth of the flooding CN thunderstorm and makes additional water vapor available for nearby storms and mountain lifting to translocate the rain to storage.

weatherfan2021 quoted Mr. Marine Layer, but I think he/she is referring to me. Forgive me if I am wrong. weatherfan2012 thinks aquariusradar is bogus BS. As is usual, anything new is immediately termed 'heretic" or "conspiricy". But I know weatherman is just trolling to get his giggles. weatherman, why would you think I am a liar tossing out preposterous ideas? Have you operated high power radars and observed the effects of microwave energy on clouds. If so, let us know. I don't think you have. I have made an attempt for 15 years to explain how this concept can be put to advantage. It has not worked because this is the age of anti-science-everything is a government conspiracy-climate change is hoax-vaccines are evil, etc. I doubt if weatherman has ever considered what might improve the outlook for drought relief or how tornadoes might be averted. Why don't you put forward some scientific arguments that nullifies my aquariusradar idea and experience rather than simply calling me a crazy liar.