California

What is causing the parade of storms battering California?

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2023

What is causing the parade of storms battering California?

California has gone from one excessive to a different, from excessive drought and empty reservoirs to an excessive amount of rain unexpectedly. Starting on New 12 months’s Eve, a parade of punishing storms has hit the state, inflicting widespread flooding and destruction. Tragically, no less than 19 individuals have been killed and the toll in harm is about $1 billion, with extra storms forecast. Southern California is anticipating further rain this weekend.

What prompted this drought-to-deluge turnabout?

The brief reply is the location of the jet stream or storm observe — a belt of sturdy winds excessive within the troposphere the place airliners fly. “It has been parked throughout the Pacific with a number of low-pressure methods rippling alongside over the previous few weeks,” mentioned Eric Boldt, a meteorologist with the Nationwide Climate Service in Oxnard.

(Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Occasions)

The jet stream sample this winter may be very uncommon for present La Niña situations, mentioned Alex Tardy, a meteorologist with the Nationwide Climate Service in San Diego. It seems to be extra like La Niñas unruly sibling, El Niño, because it barrels throughout the breadth of the ocean, from west to east, alongside about 35° north latitude, on common.

Historically, La Niña’s are related to dry winters in Southern California.

The jet stream is elongated, stretching across the ocean from west to east.

It’s common for storms to maneuver alongside the jet stream. It’s the place of that shifting belt that has been a key issue this winter. This jet stream is sort of a shifting sidewalk on the airport, the place storms can decide up baggage alongside the way in which. Moisture is plentiful within the western Pacific, the place waters are hotter than standard due to La Niña, and storms can simply seize extra as they cross by the tropics on their eastward observe. They faucet into moisture from areas round Hawaii, sweeping it alongside in atmospheric rivers as they head towards California.

Atmospheric rivers are concentrated streams of water vapor about 100 to 250 miles large within the center and decrease ranges of the ambiance. These “rivers within the sky” can transport monumental quantities of often-beneficial moisture. On common, about 30% to 50% of annual precipitation on the West Coast comes from a handful of atmospheric rivers. However potent ones could cause excessive rainfall with catastrophic flooding and mudslides. Once they arrive in fast succession, as has been the case in current weeks, it may be overwhelming: An excessive amount of of factor for a drought-stricken state. Like making an attempt to fill a champagne glass with a hearth hose, to make use of retired Jet Propulsion Laboratory climatologist Invoice Patzert’s analogy.

A mannequin exhibiting precipitable water, the measure of water within the ambiance, because it approaches the West Coast.

(Pivotal Climate)

Climate patterns over the Pacific since Dec. 20 present in the jet stream to be in what meteorologists name a zonal sample, flowing straight west to east, with a area of upper-level decrease strain to the north and an space of excessive strain to the south, nearer to Hawaii. Storms on this route are likely to seize hotter moisture as they barrel throughout the ocean in expressway trend, one after one other.

That is considerably totally different from the patterns that introduced the Southland a moist December 2021, then a a record-dry January and February 2022.

Upper-level high pressure allowing storms to come down the West Coast in Dec. 2021

In December 2021, the upper-level excessive located within the North Pacific — one byproduct of a La Niña ambiance — backed away to the west by simply sufficient to permit storms from the Gulf of Alaska to plummet down the West Coast over water. This higher high-pressure system has been blamed for blocking storms from reaching a parched Golden State, resulting in consecutive dry winters in California. Storms shifting south over the ocean replenish on moisture, leading to extra rain.

Then, in January, the excessive shifted again to the east, slamming the storm door shut for Southern California, leading to a record-dry January and February — months which can be usually the state’s wettest.

Upper-level high pressure closing off storms in January and February 2022

Storms using alongside the storm observe have been shunted inland, shifting over the Intermountain West or the Rockies. These are referred to as “inside sliders.” This sample is conducive to Santa Ana winds in Southern California, the place winter wildfires broke out in February. The rain-starved state needed to deal with dry situations and above-average heat, and a heat advisory was issued due to predicted highs of 85-90 levels when Tremendous Bowl LVI was performed at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Feb. 13.

Such situations are extra typical of La Niña, the cool part of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (abbreviated as “ENSO”) local weather sample. That is the third consecutive winter that’s firmly in La Niña territory, primarily based on situations within the ocean and ambiance within the tropical Pacific. La Niña is forecast to persist, with a 50-50 likelihood of situations turning impartial within the January-to-March interval.

Situations within the state are nonetheless fully totally different this yr, in contrast with the earlier two La Niña winters. As Tardy factors out, snowpack is twice common proper now, and about 310 inches has accrued at Mammoth, which is greater than any of the three prior seasons there.

So La Niña sometimes means heat, dry situations in Southern California and the Southwest, nevertheless it’s not at all times the case.

Central California continues to be the first focus of this El Niño-like jet stream place, and the a part of the state that has acquired essentially the most above-average precipitation. For reference, San Luis Obispo sits simply north of 35° north latitude, the road that the persistent, elongated Pacific jet stream has adopted throughout the ocean in current weeks. The Santa Barbara space, a bit to the south, has acquired 12-15 inches of flooding rain.

Although California has been deluged with rain in current weeks, it doesn’t compensate for greater than 20 years of drought, which performed a giant half in record-shattering fireplace seasons.

Atmospheric river moisture plumes within the decrease and center ranges of the ambiance, after they encounter mountains, are pressured to rise shortly, enhancing the rainfall. This collision and lifting impact signifies that mountains wring the utmost moisture out of atmospheric rivers. This regularly causes mud and particles flows. Hillsides blackened and denuded by fires are the worst potential place for heavy rain to fall. And heavy rains at larger elevations imply the water has to go someplace, and that’s at all times downhill.

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California

10 of 15 Southern California industries slow their hiring pace

Published

2 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

10 of 15 Southern California industries slow their hiring pace

Southern California’s bosses added 80,700 workers in the past year to a record 8.06 million jobs – but that hiring pace is roughly half of the pre-pandemic job market’s gains.

My trusty spreadsheet – filled with state job figures for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties – compared employment changes for the region and 15 industries in the year ended in October with the average yearly hiring pace before coronavirus upended the economy.

Yes, there have never been more Southern Californians employed. However, the recent hirings that created the all-time high staffing are far below the average job creation of 159,600 a year in 2015-19.

This is one of many signals of cooler business trends. It’s a chill significantly tied to the Federal Reserve’s attempts to slow what was once an overheated economy.

But Southern California bosses have another challenge – a shortage of workers. The region’s workforce, a measure of labor supply, is basically flat comparing 2024 to 2015-19. Fewer choices of workers have added difficulty for local businesses trying to meet their staffing needs.

Think of that when you learn that among the 15 Southern California business sectors tracked – hiring in 10 industries is below pre-pandemic years compared with five industries with improvements.

The downs

First, contemplate the 10 industries where the hiring pace has weakened, ranked by the size of the decline …

Professional-business services: 1.14 million workers in October – down 4,600 in a year vs. 24,100 annual gains in 2015-19. This net downturn of 28,700 jobs is unnerving because this white-collar work typically pays above-average salaries.

Construction: 378,700 workers – down 3,100 in a year vs. 16,200 annual gains in 2015-19. A building slowdown due to lofty mortgage rates created this 19,300 reversal.

Logistics-utilities: 820,800 workers – up 6,800 in a year vs. 25,800 annual gains in 2015-19. What’s at least a temporary oversupply of warehouses in the region may be behind this 19,000 slowdown.

Manufacturing: 558,400 workers – down 15,300 in a year vs. 4,100 annual cuts in 2015-19. This 11,200 drop is continued losses of local factory work tied to high cost of doing business in the region.

Fast-food restaurants: 359,400 workers – up 3,400 in a year vs. 12,400 annual gains in 2015-19. Weaker consumer spending and a hike in the industry’s minimum wage contribute to this 9,000 drop.

Hotels/entertainment/recreation: 268,300 workers – up 3,400 in a year vs. 9,600 annual gains in 2015-19. This 6,200 cooling reflects worker shortages.

Full-service eateries/food service: 339,100 workers – up 1,600 in a year vs. 6,600 annual gains in 2015-19. Inflation making shoppers pickier is part of this 5,000 cooling.

Information: 214,200 workers – down 100 in a year vs. 3,700 annual gains in 2015-19. Weakness in tech businesses and Hollywood productions created the 3,800 net downturn.

Personal services: 266,600 workers – up 500 in a year vs. 3,200 annual gains in 2015-19. Again, it is hard to find people to do this work. Thus, a 2,700 cooling.

Government: 1.03 million workers – up 11,600 in a year vs. 12,500 annual gains in 2015-19. This 900 dip is status quo.

The ups

Ponder the five industries where the hiring pace rose in the past year, ranked by the size of the gains …

Social assistance: 512,300 workers – up 28,200 in a year vs. 18,300 annual gains in 2015-19. The 9,900 addition comes as more folks need help at home for healthcare and child care.

Healthcare: 836,700 workers – up 30,100 in a year vs. 20,900 annual gains in 2015-19. The 9,200 growth parallels the region’s aging population and its need for medical services.

Retailing: 748,300 workers – up 8,300 in a year vs. 300 annual cuts in 2015-19. This somewhat surprising 8,600 improvement may be consumers tiring of online commerce and wanting to get out to shop.

Financial: 364,100 workers – up 4,400 in a year vs. 3,900 annual gains in 2015-19. The minor 500 improvement is a return to normalcy. Super-heated hiring came in the pandemic days thanks to a brief drop in mortgage rates to historic lows.

Private education: 215,700 workers – up 5,500 in a year vs. 5,100 annual gains in 2015-19. This 400 uptick reflects the growing interest in alternatives to public schooling.

Bottom line

While it’s rare for all industries to be growing at the same time – minus, say, just after an economic downturn – this 2024 edition of the winners vs. losers list raises an important issue.

It appears much of the past year’s job creation is coming from industries that historically pay meager wages. That’s an especially worrisome trend in high-cost Southern California.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com

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California

California Lottery Powerball, Daily 3 Midday winning numbers for Nov. 27, 2024

Published

10 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

The California Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 27, 2024, results for each game:

Powerball

01-06-07-13-40, Powerball: 05, Power Play: 5

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Daily 3

Midday: 7-1-0

Evening: 4-9-6

Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Daily Derby

1st:11 Money Bags-2nd:3 Hot Shot-3rd:8 Gorgeous George, Race Time: 1:47.44

Check Daily Derby payouts and previous drawings here.

Fantasy 5

03-10-12-29-33

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Daily 4

6-1-3-2

Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

SuperLotto Plus

03-05-15-16-42, Mega Ball: 24

Check SuperLotto Plus payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Desert Sun producer. You can send feedback using this form.

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California

Democrat Derek Tran ousts Republican rival in key California House seat

Published

18 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Democrat Derek Tran ousts Republican rival in key California House seat

Democrat Derek Tran ousted Republican Michelle Steel in a southern California House district Wednesday that was specifically drawn to give Asian Americans a stronger voice on Capitol Hill.

Steel said in a statement: “Like all journeys, this one is ending for a new one to begin.” When she captured the seat in 2020, Steel joined Washington state Democrat Marilyn Strickland and California Republican Young Kim as the first Korean American women elected to Congress.

Tran, a lawyer and worker rights advocate and the son of Vietnamese refugees, declared victory earlier this week. He said his win “is a testament to the spirit and resilience of our community. As the son of Vietnamese refugees, I understand firsthand the journey and sacrifices many families in our district have made for a better life.”

The contest is one of the last to be decided this year, with Republicans now holding 220 seats in the House, with Democrats at 214. The Associated Press has not declared a winner in California’s 13th district, where Democrat Adam Gray was leading Republican John Duarte by a couple of hundred votes.

Steel held an early edge after election day, but late-counted ballots pushed Tran over the top.

Steel filed a statement of candidacy on Monday with federal regulators, which would allow her to continue raising funds. It wasn’t immediately clear if she planned to seek a return to Congress.

In the campaign, Tran warned of Republican threats to abortion rights. Steel opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman, while not going so far as to support a federal ban. Tran also warned that Donald Trump’s return to the White House would put democracy at risk.

On Capitol Hill, Steel has been outspoken in resisting tax increases and says she stands strongly with Israel in its war with Hamas. “As our greatest ally in the Middle East, the United States must always stand with Israel,” she said. She advocates for more police funding and has spotlighted her efforts on domestic violence and sexual abuse.

The largest demographic in the district, which is anchored in Orange county, south-east of Los Angeles, is Asian Americans, and it includes the nation’s biggest Vietnamese community. Democrats hold a four-point registration edge.

Incomplete returns showed that Steel was winning in Orange county, the bulk of the district. Tran’s winning margin came from a small slice of the district in Los Angeles county, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two to one.

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