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Tarrant County is in a 90-day burn ban beginning Jan. 4, prohibiting all outdoor burning. The Tarrant County Fire Marshal’s Office requested the ban “to protect the lives and property of Tarrant County residents.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas), Jan 4, 2022

The Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group (CW-DMAG) stated that dry weather conditions warranted putting the Catawba-Wateree River Basin in Stage 0 of the group’s drought protocol. Stage 0 is a drought watch stage that alerts CW-DMAG members to monitor conditions more closely. No other actions are required at this point, but water and energy conservation are strongly encouraged with the expectation of dry weather in coming months. Precipitation was less than half of normal in the last four months of 2021, so water storage in the 11-reservoir Catawba-Wateree River Basin was low and streamflows feeding the reservoirs were below normal. CN2 News (Rock Hill, S.C.) Jan 4, 2022

Thanks to abundant rainfall refilling reservoirs, the Marin Municipal Water District was no longer in a big rush to construct the $100 million pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge which would provide more water for MMWD customers if reservoirs were to run dry. The region received more than 200% of its normal rainfall from October through December, and the district’s seven reservoirs refilled from 32% of capacity in mid-October to nearly 93% in early January 2022. Marin Independent Journal (Calif.), Jan 5, 2022 After a number of atmospheric rivers that brought tremendous rain to Marin County, the reservoirs have refilled from 32% to 74% of capacity on Dec. 17 and water officials were reconsidering some drought restrictions and penalties that were introduced earlier. Since July, the Marin Municipal Water District has received about 34 inches of rain, or about 240% of normal to date. The utility continues to plan for water projects like the $100 million pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge that would pump in water purchased from Yuba County. The district began planning the pipeline when it appeared that its local reservoir supplies could be depleted as soon as July 2022. The San Jose Mercury News (Calif.), Dec 19, 2021 More than 17 inches of desperately needed rain fell at Lake Lagunitas reservoir Oct. 18-25. The 17+ inches represents about a third of the 52 inches typically received in a year. Water supplies in the district’s seven reservoirs in the Mount Tamalpais watershed rose from 32% to 43% of total capacity, with the total storage increasing from about 25,772 acre-feet on Oct. 18 to 34,535 acre-feet on Oct. 25. While the rain is beneficial, the Marin Municipal Water District is still planning to build the 8-mile pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to bring in additional water. Marin Independent Journal (Calif.), Oct 25, 2021 The Marin Municipal Water District was taking steps toward constructing an emergency water pipeline if the coming winter is dry like the last, to avoid running out of water next summer. A consulting firm was seeking out potential water rights holders in the Central Valley that might be willing to sell their allotments. In the meantime, it is hoped that conservation efforts will continue to improve so the pipeline and temporary desalination plant can remain unused backup plans. While conservation of 40% has been requested, residents conserved about 19% recently. The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), June 23, 2021 The potential for water shortages in Marin County was so high that the Marin Municipal Water District was talking with East Bay officials about building a pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to bring water into the county if the upcoming winter shapes up to be as dry as the past two. The emergency pipeline was once used during the 1976-77 drought. A temporary desalination plant was another of several options under consideration to boost water supplies if the drought were to continue into a third year. Marin only received 20 inches of rain during the winter, less than fell during the 1976-77 drought and the second least amount in the 143 years that records have been kept. The MMWD approved mandatory water restrictions on April 20 and could tighten restrictions further for its 190,000 customers in central and southern Marin. Marin Independent Journal (Calif.), April 27, 2021

Rain and the Jan. 3 snowstorm allowed officials in Danville and Pittsylvania County to lift burn bans that have been in effect since Nov. 30. Go Dan River (Danville, Va.), Jan 5, 2022 Open burn bans were in effect for Amherst County, Carroll County, Charlotte County, Danville, Halifax County, Henry County and Pittsylvania County. The burn bans began between Nov. 30 and Dec. 3 and will end when conditions improve. WSLS-TV NBC Channel 10 (Roanoke, Va.), Dec 3, 2021

A water shortage in the Colorado River Basin was announced by the Bureau of Reclamation on Aug. 16 as Lake Mead fell to record low levels. Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will receive less water in 2022, with Arizona farmers seeing the biggest cut in water deliveries as the state gets 18% less of its share of river water. Nevada will lose 7%, while Mexico will get about 5% less. Associated Press News (New York), Aug 16, 2021

The Hyatt Powerplant at Lake Oroville began generating hydropower again after shutting down in early August for lack of water. On Jan. 3, the water level was 716 feet, or 39% of capacity, considerably higher than the 640 feet when the plant closed, which had not happened since it began operating in the late 1960s. The plant was not yet operating at full capacity as water was being conserved for use in the spring and summer. Water was being released at 900 cubic feet per second and was producing 30 megawatts of electricity, although the plant’s maximum capacity is 750 megawatts. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), Jan 4, 2022 The power plant at Lake Oroville stopped generating electricity on Aug. 5 as the lake reached a new low and was at 24% of capacity. The Edward Hyatt power plant is one of the largest hydroelectric plants in the state and can provide roughly 1% of the state’s peak electricity demand. The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), Aug 5, 2021

Californians conserved just 6.8% of their water use in November 2021, compared to November 2020, considerably below the 15% Gov. Newsom requested. Since July, urban water consumption fell by just 6%. In light of the need for more water conservation, the State Water Resources Control Board passed new conservation regulations intended to help curb wasteful outdoor water use. The emergency regulations would be in effect for one year and would allow the violator to be fined up to $500. While the timing of the new regulations might seem odd, given the recent heavy precipitation, California cannot count on the storms continuing as the precipitation outlook for the next three months was drier than average. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), Jan 4, 2022

No watches are valid as of Tue Jan 4 14:12:01 UTC 2022.

No Mesoscale Discussions are in effect as of Tue Jan 4 14:12:01 UTC 2022.

SPC 1300Z Day 1 Outlook
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0610 AM CST Tue Jan 04 2022 Valid 041300Z - 051200Z ...NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AREAS FORECAST... ...SUMMARY... Isolated thunderstorms will be possible today across western Washington. ...Synopsis... Cold midlevel temperatures and associated steep low-midlevel lapse rates will persist near the WA coast today, with an associated threat for isolated lightning flashes mainly this morning into early afternoon. Thereafter, warming profiles aloft with rising heights, and resultant lowering of equilibrium levels, will reduce the potential for convection deep enough to produce lightning. Otherwise, a cold and/or dry continental air mass will preclude thunderstorms across the majority of the CONUS. The only potential exceptions will be across the FL Straits and just off the Carolinas, but any deep convection/lightning flashes should remain sparse and confined to offshore waters. ..Thompson/Kerr.. 01/04/2022 Read more

Custer, Caddo and Dewey counties’ boards of commissioners adopted burn bans due to the warm, dry weather, recent fires and extreme fire danger. Fines for violating the ban range from $1,000 to imprisonment for a year or both. KOCO-TV ABC 5 Oklahoma City (Okla.), Dec 27, 2021

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare wildfire response resources prior to critical wildfire danger in the Texas Panhandle, South Plains and West Texas through Sunday, Dec. 26. Strong winds are expected, and fuels are dry to critically dry. FOX 7 Austin (Texas), Dec 22, 2022

Arizona’s 900+ Pinal County farmers will receive less water in 2022. To compensate for getting less Colorado River water, irrigation districts were using state funds to drill new wells, but growers will still have to fallow land. Forty million dollars has been provided by the state to drill new wells. Growers from west of Phoenix to the Tucson area will lose water, but Pinal County farmers will fare worst as 30% to 40% of the farmland in Pinal County is expected to be fallowed. Dairy farmers will be affected by the reduction in water supplies and will produce less milk. More fallowed land means more particulate dust in the air, which is already a problem. AZ Central (Phoenix, Ariz.), Jan 3, 2022

The wind-driven Marshall Fire in Boulder County began from an unknown source on Dec. 30, incinerated at least 991 homes and other structures and left three people unaccounted for. Of the lost structures, the tentative count is 553 in Louisville, 332 in Superior and 106 in unincorporated parts of the county. The blaze charred at least 9.4 square miles. A winter storm dropped eight inches of snow on the smoldering scene. The fall and winter were extremely dry, increasing the fire risk when high winds spread flames through the area of parched grass and vegetation. Most of the county was in severe and extreme drought. Associated Press News (New York), Jan 1, 2022

A burn ban took effect in Garvin County on Dec. 13 and was renewed for another week. Ten other counties, including Alfalfa, Blaine, Carter, Cimarron, Dewey, Jefferson, Major, Stephens, Texas and Woodward, also have burn bans. Pauls Valley Democrat (Okla.), Dec 22, 2021

Grady County Commissioners passed a countywide burn ban on Dec. 27, due to the elevated fire danger and will reevaluated weekly. Chickasha Daily Express (Okla.), Dec 27, 2021

In July 2021, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife predicted that “nearly all” of the endangered Chinook salmon juvenile population would likely die from warm water in the Sacramento River in 2021. The prediction came true. An estimated 2.6% of the winter-run Chinook salmon juvenile population were able to survive the warm water temperatures, according to the CDFW. Another factor was at play regarding the young fish. Many were deficient in thiamine, or vitamin B1, due to adult salmon binging on anchovies, causing a breakdown in thiamine levels, which was passed along to the juveniles. Environmentalists charge that the massive fish kill was caused by mismanagement of the river last spring when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation sent hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water from Shasta Lake to farmers with special water rights. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), Jan 3, 2022 Only 2% of winter-run Chinook juvenile salmon likely survived the summer, due to high water temperatures which led to massive fish kills in the Sacramento River, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Not even during previous years of drought have so many juvenile salmon died, raising the specter of permanent collapse of the endangered species. An estimated 75% of winter-run Chinook eggs died from heat this summer on the upper Sacramento River. Experts think that nearly all the remaining salmon that did hatch soon died from a combination of low river flows and natural or human-caused mortality. Courthouse News Service (Pasadena, Calif.), Nov 4, 2021 Drought is heating up the Sacramento River to the point that nearly all endangered winter-run Chinook salmon could perish this fall, warned officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The salmon typically have a 3-year life cycle, so the deaths of nearly all of one year’s run of young “greatly increases the risk of extinction for the species,” according to a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council. California’s last drought also caused two years of severe mortality among winter-run salmon. The pool of cool water in Shasta Lake has been depleted as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released water for farmers. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), July 8, 2021