West

Will California have a 'superbloom' this year? Here's what to know about the flower spectacle

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2024

Will California have a 'superbloom' this year? Here's what to know about the flower spectacle

Carpets of yellow, orange and gold flowers are spreading across Southern California’s deserts.
This year’s blooms are not as vibrant or abundant as last year’s “superbloom,” which followed drought-busting rains.
Superblooms occur when desert stretches transform into dense wildflower fields due to dormant seeds germinating after seasons with over 30 percent average precipitation.

Carpets of yellow, orange and gold flowers are beginning to cover Southern California’s vast deserts, the Bay Area’s dramatic bluffs and even near Los Angeles International Airport.

But do they add up to a “superbloom”? There is no single definition of the event, but so far this year’s blooms haven’t been as vibrant or abundant as those that took over swaths of California last spring following drought-busting rains. This year, too, the state received ample winter rains.

After especially wet winters, bursts of color may appear in the spring, drawing droves of visitors to California and other parts of the Southwest to glimpse the flowering fields and pose for pictures.

CALIFORNIA’S MASSIVE SUPERBLOOM SEEN FROM SPACE FOLLOWING HISTORIC, DROUGHT-ENDING RAINS

Here are some key facts about the natural spectacle.

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, flowers bloom in Mussel Rock Park in Daly City, California, on April 1, 2024. Carpets of tiny, rain-fed wildflowers known as “superblooms” are appearing in parts of California and Arizona. Their arrival draws droves of visitors who stop to glimpse the flashes of color and pose for pictures. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

WHAT’S A SUPERBLOOM?

Scientists don’t agree on any one definition. Across California and Arizona, there are stretches of desert that can quickly transform into dense fields of wildflowers, since seeds lie dormant in the soil and then germinate and blossom at around the same time.

A recent study found that such widespread blooms, which have been visible by satellite imagery in some years, take place after seasons with greater than 30% average precipitation, said Naomi Fraga, director of conservation programs at the California Botanic Garden, east of Los Angeles.

DOES THIS YEAR COUNT?

No, according to Fraga. That’s because there isn’t a huge diversity in the flowers that have blossomed in places like California’s Death Valley.

This year’s blooms aren’t as large or as dense as wildflowers in past years, she said.

“When I think of superblooms, I think of a bloom that is so extraordinary, that’s a once in a lifetime event,” Fraga said, adding that the wildflower display this year “still makes a beautiful show.”

Last spring, early April visitors to Southern California’s Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve were treated to dazzling orange displays of the state flower. But around the same time this year, the fields were absent of the orange blooms, with the reserve’s officials posting that the window for an impressive show was becoming “increasingly narrow.”

In Death Valley, one of the driest places on earth, stretches of desert are dotted with gold thanks to sunflowers that emerged after an especially wet winter and spring.

Whether that constitutes a superbloom is “really in the eye of the beholder,” said Evan Meyer, executive director of the California-based nonprofit Theodore Payne Foundation, which works to preserve California’s native plants.

WHEN DOES IT HAPPEN?

April is typically the peak month for spring wildflowers, but in high-elevation places they can continue to blossom later into the spring.

Superblooms generally refer to low-elevation desert regions, Fraga said.

“It’s much more geographic than seasonal,” Meyer said. “Spring in the mountains hasn’t started, and in the low desert, it’s past its peak.”

When temperatures rise in the desert, the flowers can quickly dry out.

HOW DOES CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT THE SUPERBLOOM?

Experts say it might be too soon to tell.

Climate change is making precipitation patterns more erratic, but the effects on wildflowers could play out over decades or even centuries, Fraga said, since seeds stay dormant in the soil for long periods of time.

Southern California received heavy rain last summer, unlike its usually dry summers, which she said probably stimulated flowers to germinate out of season. Winter temperatures also were higher than average, so many of them were able to stay in bloom through the spring season.

“That made for a very unusual bloom,” Fraga said.

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Utah

Utah Blanks Philadelphia, 3-0 | Utah Mammoth

Published

19 minutes ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Utah Blanks Philadelphia, 3-0 | Utah Mammoth

Schmaltz’s 24 goals this season are a new career-high. He’s been a consistently strong presence and has taken on more responsibility with the switch from wing to center. His goal on the power play came just eight seconds into the man-advantage and opened the scoring early in the second period. In addition to his goal, he had an assist on Utah’s second goal of the game. Tourigny discussed Schmaltz’s maturity following the win.

“He’s a mature person, mature man,” Tourigny explained. “He really wants to make a difference. I always say about Schmaltz, (he’s) a gamer. He wants to play in those moments, and I think he’s excited about where our team is at, and he wants to be a big part of it, and he is. He’s a huge leader for us.”

Utah held Philadelphia to 16 total shots: four in the first period, seven in the second, and five in the third. The Mammoth showed their strong defensive game in the win.

“I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we’re defending hard,” Schmaltz said. “We’re playing with a lot of pace, not giving them time and space, frustrating them, and making them force plays, and then we turn it over and go the other way.”

On the flip side, against a stingy Philadelphia defense, Utah generated 23 shots including 14 in the second period. Schmaltz spoke to what led to the increased opportunities in the middle frame.

“A little bit more direct,” Schmaltz shared. “I think our transition game was really good. We were catching them, kind of hemming them in. Good line changes and just rolling them over and shooting a little bit more.”

In addition to Schmaltz’s goal, Captain Clayton Keller scored his 19^th of the season seven and half minutes after his linemate’s tally to increase the score to 2-0. Michael Carcone’s empty net goal with 1:48 left in regulation secured the 3-0 win.

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

The Mammoth’s power play went 1-for-2 against the Flyers. Utah has scored seven power play goals in seven games (7-for-18, 38.9%). On the other side of special teams, the Mammoth’s penalty kill went 3-for-3.

JJ Peterka played his 300^th NHL game. Peterka was selected 34th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft and is the ninth player from his draft class to reach the milestone. He is also just the eighth German-born forward in NHL history to accomplish the feat.

Keller has recorded 11 points in his last seven games (2/2-3/5: 3g, 8a), finding the scoresheet in six of those contests.

With two assists tonight, Dylan Guenther has posted his second straight multi-point outing (3/3 at WSH: 1g, 1a) and his third in five games (2/25 vs. COL: 2g).

Utah has won the first two games of a five-game road trip. Up next, the Mammoth travel to Columbus and face the Blue Jackets on Saturday night.

Upcoming Schedule

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Washington

Capitals Acquire a Conditional First-Round Pick in Either 2026 or 2027 and a 2027 Third-Round Pick from Anaheim for John Carlson | Washington Capitals

Published

37 minutes ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Capitals Acquire a Conditional First-Round Pick in Either 2026 or 2027 and a 2027 Third-Round Pick from Anaheim for John Carlson | Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals have acquired a conditional first-round pick in either the 2026 NHL Draft or the 2027 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft from the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman John Carlson, senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today. Should Anaheim qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Anaheim will transfer its 2026 first-round pick to Washington. If Anaheim fails to qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Anaheim has the option to retain its 2026 first-round pick and transfer its 2027 first-round pick to Washington instead.

“Since joining our organization 17 years ago, John Carlson has exemplified what it means to be a Washington Capital every day,” said Patrick. “John’s determination, leadership, persistence and skill helped our franchise reach new heights and cemented him as a cornerstone and one of the greatest players in Capitals history. His contributions to our organization and the Washington, D.C., community both on and off the ice have been immeasurable. We are incredibly grateful for everything John has given to our team and wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward with Anaheim.”

The Capitals own 22 total picks in the next three drafts, including four first-round selections and nine picks in the first three rounds. Washington also acquired a 2029 second-round pick from the Vegas Golden Knights on March 5.

Carlson, 36, recorded 46 points (10g, 36a) in 55 games with the Capitals this season and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Carlson has played his entire 17-season career with the Capitals and is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (1,143), goals (166), assists (605) and points (771) among defensemen. The Natick, Massachusetts native helped lead the Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2018, and led all defensemen in playoff scoring with 20 points (5g, 15a) in 24 games played. Carlson was originally drafted by Washington in the first round (27th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft.

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Wyoming

Wyoming 3A and 4A Boys Basketball Regionals Tip Off Postseason Play

Published

55 minutes ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming 3A and 4A Boys Basketball Regionals Tip Off Postseason Play

The 2026 postseason has arrived for Wyoming High School boys’ basketball teams in Class 3A and 4A. They participate in regional tournaments from Thursday through Saturday. The regionals will be in Buffalo, Evanston, Gillette, and Lovell. Three sites will use the format: two wins qualify a team for the state tournament next week in Casper, or two losses eliminate a team. The 4A East Region has three loser-out first-round games on Thursday, followed by two days of games for seeding. The 4A East Regular Season champ draws a first-round bye and has qualified for the state tournament.

WYOPREPS 3A-4A BOYS BASKETBALL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES

Except in the 4A East Regional, Friday starts with elimination games. The regional semifinals are on Friday night. The final seeds for next week’s state tournament will be determined on Saturday. The schedules below for this weekend are based on the brackets sent to WyoPreps. It is subject to change.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5:

Final Score: (3) Pinedale 58 (6) Mountain View 40

Final Score: (2) Cody 58 (7) Powell 46

Final Score: (1) Lovell 75 (8) Lyman 43

Final Score: (4) Lander 65 (5) Worland 40

FRIDAY, MARCH 6:

Game 5: Mountain View vs. Powell, noon – loser out

Game 6: Lyman vs. Worland, 1:30 p.m. – loser out

Game 7: Pinedale vs. Cody, 6 p.m. – semifinal

Game 8: Lovell vs. Lander, 7:30 p.m. – semifinal

SATURDAY, MARCH 7:

Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 11 a.m. – loser out

Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 11 a.m. – loser out (at LMS)

Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 5 p.m. – 3rd Place Game

Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 2 p.m. – Championship Game

THURSDAY, MARCH 5:

Final Score: (3) Douglas 85 (6) Rawlins 50

Final Score: (2) Wheatland 57 (7) Burns 40

Final Score: (5) Torrington 35 (4) Newcastle 28

Final Score: (1) Buffalo 69 (8) Glenrock 44

FRIDAY, MARCH 6:

Game 5: Rawlins vs. Burns, noon – loser out

Game 6: Newcastle vs. Glenrock, 1:30 p.m. – loser out

Game 7: Douglas vs. Wheatland, 6 p.m. – semifinal

Game 8: Torrington vs. Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. – semifinal

SATURDAY, MARCH 7:

Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, noon – loser out

Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 1:30 p.m. – loser out

Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 7:30 p.m. – 3rd Place Game (if necessary)

Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 4:30 p.m. – Championship Game

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THURSDAY, MARCH 5:

Final Score: (NW-3) Kelly Walsh 64 (SW-2) Riverton 49

Final Score: (NW-1) Natrona County 77 (SW-4) Jackson 23

Final Score: (NW-2) Green River 50 (SW-3) Evanston 40

Final Score: (SW-1) Star Valley 62 (NW-4) Rock Springs 60 – Erickson makes a turnaround jumper at the buzzer off an offensive rebound for the Braves.