Blog: Whiplash again! – Learning from wet (and dry) years
“Old superlatives have been dusted off and new ones count to better describe the tragedy, damage, and trauma associated with the State’s latest ‘unusual’ weather experience.” DWR Bulletin 69-83, California High Water 1982-83, p.1 … Here are a few long-term lessons from the 1983 and 2023 experiences: California often has wet and very wet years, just as it often has dry and very dry years. Flooding can occur in all parts of California, and many parts can flood in the same year. Few areas should feel entirely safe from floods. Flood hazard zones should be updated to consider subsidence, land use changes and climate change.