A lost lake is poised to reappear in California after heavy rain

“The Kings River has been flooding the last two or three weeks because of all the storms we’ve had,” said Randy McFarland, advisor to the Management Association. “We haven’t seen such an important hydrological year since 1982 or 1983. This could be the largest year on record or observed in recent history.”

Transfer water to the old lake

The Army Corps of Engineers in the Sacramento District (USACE) announced Monday transfers of water that accumulates as rainfall at Pine Flat Dam in the middle valley of Fresno County to the formerly dry site of Lake Tulare.

California, particularly in the central and southern regions, received up to 80 mm of rain over the coastal region and 120 cm of snowfall in some places on Tuesday. Evacuation orders were also issued in Tulare County, where the eponymous lake is located. The US weather service also warned of flood risks from southern California to San Francisco.

The western United States has seen record-breaking snow and precipitation for weeks. The latest storms in California, like most of the others this season, are fueled by an “atmospheric river,” a giant corridor of rain carrying water vapor stored in the tropics, often around Hawaii.