El Nino storms bring relief to California farmers

Weather phenomenon blamed for floods and mudflows across US West Coast has also alleviated water shortage in the state.

La Jolla, California – El Nino has caused a number of floods and mudflows across the US West Coast, disrupting several roads as dangerous waves increase the risk of flooding along the coastline.

Despite those effects, the storms have also brought desperately needed rain for the drought-stricken state of California.

“Since 2011, we have had complete crop failures the last four years in a row, and in terms of irrigated stuff, we have seen acreage drop because our wells can’t hold up to irrigate the amount of acreage we are farming,” Jordan Parsons, a farmer in California, told Al Jazeera.

But now, for the first time in a long time, Parsons’ fields are green, thanks to the El Nino global weather system that is bringing water to California.

Scientists who have measured the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains, say levels were well above average for this time of year.

However, they say while rain and snowfall may have increased, El Nino will not wipe out the effects of years of drought.

The current El Nino weather system is one of the strongest on record and has already had a major impact on other parts of the globe.

Source: Al Jazeera