California's 'phantom lake' returns with a vengeance

[Cloudy Dayz]

It sounds like Tulare Lake has faded back into history.

California's Tulare Lake is gone after a year of floodwaters
Kurtis Alexander 2/25/2024

The long-dormant lake that roared to life in California’s San Joaquin Valley last winter, eventually swelling to nearly the size of Lake Tahoe, has all but disappeared.

Almost a year after historic storms fueled its rebirth, Tulare Lake endures today only as several small stretches of standing water. The vast expanses of farms, roads and buildings unexpectedly engulfed by the lake ever since March, between Bakersfield and Fresno, have mostly resurfaced, albeit wet and very muddy.

California's Tulare Lake is gone after a year of floodwaters

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Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Those images are so blurry I can't make heads or tails out of them.

Really? That sucks.

OK I will do some grab and paste then. They look great on my system. I never thought that the links might not come up well for others.

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Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

It sounds like Tulare Lake has faded back into history.



California's Tulare Lake is gone after a year of floodwaters

Last year March 2023



This year, March 2024




Last year April 2023



Once the snow melts, it should be quite interesting.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by SFX

Last year March 2023



This year, March 2024




Last year April 2023



Once the snow melts, it should be quite interesting.

The link I posted was from the San Francisco Chronicle. Do you think that is not a good source?

The snowpack is currently standing at about 103%. So just slightly above average. Last year it was at 214%. I wouldn't expect to see the flooding that occured last year, or the lake to return.

[SFX]

You are most likely correct.

The last thing California wants is a return to wet lush valley full of wildlife, running water and wetlands.



Or a reminder that the area around Lake Tulare had the largest population of native Americans.

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Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Last year it was at 214%. I wouldn't expect to see the flooding that occured last year, or the lake to return.

Last year the reservoirs were not already over filled when the snow started melting

2023 data

2024 data

And for good measure, 2022 data

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Originally Posted by SFX

I've also been watching the smaller Owens lake (212 square miles), another lake the land barons killed, which is now back, And full.

It's here

I just found out on March 25th 2023, the LA aqueduct failed right near Owens lake.

??

Now it makes sense, sort of. There was so much water coming down the valley, the aqueduct couldn't take it all, the same "flood" that refilled Owens lake also overwhelmed the aqueduct.

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/im...for-owens-lake

California's Owens Lake has been mostly dry since the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. The project siphoned water from the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada range and Owens River Valley to the city of Los Angeles, 220 miles (354 kilometers) to the south, drawing down the lake.

That changed in March 2023 after floodwaters pooled on the west side of the aqueduct, eroded soil that supported the concrete-lined channel, and contributed to the collapse of three of its sections near Olancha. To drain and repair the damaged section of the aqueduct, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) opened spill gates letting water run downstream. According to news reports, some of that floodwater joined with water from other sources and poured over the lakebed of Owens Lake.

At the time I actually knew nothing about Owens lake, or the history of how it was destroyed.

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The Death Valley lake was a clue on Jeopardy tonight.

https://j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=8859

https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-w...-lakes-hillary

And yes it is still there

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The lake in 2005