Currently, California is experiencing a natural phenomenon called La Niña, which occurs when cold water rises on the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. Colder water means less evaporation from the ocean, leading to less water being dropped on the coast in the form of precipitation. Because California is experiencing La Niña, scientists predicted that the residents of California could expect a very dry winter this year. However, as everyone has seen, this was clearly not the case.

Droughts are extremely common in California’s history, which is one of the reasons these massive rainstorms are unusual. The worst of the droughts in recent history in California have been in 1947-1950, 1987-1992, 2000-2002, 2007-2009, and 2012-2016. The massive amounts of water dumped onto California have made people wonder if the rain will make up for years of drought. However, this is not the case.

The long-term ecological effects of the storms are not crystal clear, but experts have come to a consensus on one point: the storms will not reverse years of drought. While the extra snow on the mountains and the rain will help increase California’s water supply, in the long run, it is unlikely that it will be able to solve years of drought.

Most of the water dumped onto California has not been able to be stored for future use. Instead, most of it has flowed into the ocean. The sheer amount of water has overwhelmed many of California’s drainage systems and reservoirs. To combat overflowing reservoirs, the state of California has lowered the water levels in some reservoirs, but water is still being lost. In addition, years of hot, dry weather and drought has led to a dryer landscape, which means that instead of lots of water soaking into the ground, it has turned into runoff, and flowed into the ocean.

While the huge amounts of water will certainly help with the drought, it is unlikely that the rain will reverse decades of drought in California.

For the first time in 50 years, snow fell on CHS’s campus on Wednesday, March 1st, 2023. Students rushed out of their classes and started to have photo shoots in the middle of the quads to remember the historical day. Across social media, posts flooded the feeds of CHS students from all the excitement of the snowfall. Students jumped at the opportunity to relax and play in the little amount of snow CHS saw. The sparse amount did not matter because the mere thought of any snow on campus is shocking for Claremont residents.
Students and staff both agree on the rarity of the snow and, to some, it was one of those “you had to be there” moments to really understand the excitement and child-like energy in the atmosphere. Mr. Barcelona, a history teacher at CHS, explained how he felt.

“I was shocked to see it and it was definitely the first time I have seen snow in Claremont,” Mr. Barcelona said. “It was a unique experience I’m sure we will talk about for years to come.”

Warm, dry conditions are extremely common in Claremont but rain, hail, and snow are not so common. With the most recent snowfall in Claremont prior to March 1st being in 1972, CHS students were able to witness history. Not only did the snow change Claremont history, but it also helped bring students together, even if it was just for five minutes during fourth period.

“There are few moments when everyone feels super unified and has the same feelings towards things but everyone thought being out in the snow was a great idea,” Mr. Barcelona said.

At the sight of the first flake falling from the sky, students’ demeanors changed and many reverted to a child-like state: throwing snowballs, making snow angels on the football field, running around, and taking pictures in the snow. A lighthearted atmosphere was present on campus. CHS Sophomore, Sophia Vandenvrijhoef experienced the snow firsthand.

“It was a magical experience that made everyone feel like kids again,” Sophia Vandenvrijhoef said.

Though snow may be something CHS experiences again, hopefully, it won’t take another 50 years for it to fall. But, if it does, maybe this article will be helpful in imagining the feelings CHS students once had about the winter-wonderland conditions.

On Saturday, February 25th, the citizens of Claremont woke up to something unprecedented: snow blanketing the roofs, backyards, and trees of Claremont. Bewildered and delighted, citizens enjoyed the rare sight. As enjoyable as the sight of snow was, however, this was no winter miracle. Instead, it is an ominous warning of the effects of climate change.

The reason that snow unexpectedly fell upon Claremont in a way that it has not in decades is due to atmospheric rivers, which are “long, narrow highways of moisture”, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These atmospheric rivers lie around 10,000 to 15,000 feet above the surface of the Earth, traveling thousands of miles across the planet while being responsible for 30-50% of the wet season precipitation along the West Coast of the U.S., according to NOAA. A strong atmospheric river can transport an amount of water vapor that is “roughly equivalent to 7.5–15 times the average flow of liquid water at the mouth of the Mississippi River,” NOAA has found.

However, this winter, California has been hit with multiple atmospheric river events. According to analyses, the atmospheric rivers carrying warmer water have shifted to cross over more of California than usual. In fact, in the past three months alone California has experienced twelve atmospheric rivers. This has caused winter storms to deposit over 100 inches in the Sierra Nevada mountains, causing a trickle-down effect in which over a foot of rain has hit areas of California, an unprecedented amount. Historically, the path of the atmospheric rivers merely skims California, diverting most moisture away from the state. This is why California’s climate has always been dry, and why the sudden influx of water has been shocking to its citizens and scientists.

The reason for these atmospheric rivers shifting is because of climate change. As temperatures increase across the globe, so do moisture levels in the atmosphere. In turn, atmospheric rivers can hold more moisture, causing an even greater increase in rainfall across the state. Although this has helped ease the state’s record drought, it has also caused catastrophic flooding, displacing hundreds of people and destroying thousands of dollars in property.

Although the rare snowfall Claremont has experienced over the past few weeks has seemed to be a blessing, it is truly a warning in disguise, a warning that must be heeded. As the past month has shown, climate change is not a faraway, distant threat. It affects the people of Claremont even today, and its effects can be seen as close as their backyards.

Snow is definitely not a common phenomenon in the desert of Southern California, especially in the Los Angeles area. However, at the beginning of March this year, Los Angeles and the surrounding counties saw their first heavy snowfall in over 80 years. Pictures of the snowy landscape spread across social media like wildfire. Although this was a euphoric sight for many, it was not a joyous event for everyone in the area.
In many areas at high altitudes, such as the San Bernardino Mountains, the recent heavy snowfall and blizzards have created hazards for residents, dumping up to 10 feet of snow in some regions. The situation was especially severe in Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear, popular places for weekend ski trips near LA, as a large number of Southern California visitors who did not live in the area were trapped on the mountain, facing unfamiliar conditions. These unprecedented conditions have completely overwhelmed the snow equipment used by the cities and forced the county to declare a local emergency, requesting federal and state assistance. The mountainous communities were met with a heavy blizzard that trapped residents within their homes, collapsed roofs of houses and buildings, incapacitated local businesses, and blocked highways leading up the mountains. Even now, rescuers are still in the process of digging out residents and have yet to reach areas deeper up the mountains.
Neither the county nor its residents were prepared for this unprecedented danger. The blocked pathways up to the mountains isolated the cities in the area from any assistance from the county and the state, while residents were forced to live off any emergency food and supplies they had prepared prior to the harsh blizzard. Many were forced to take shelter in nearby schools and buildings, as they were unable to return to the homes which had been barricaded by the snow. First responders of the emergency, including paramedics and firefighters, were stopped by the layers of snow piled on highways and freeways by avalanches that had occurred during or after the heavy snowfall. Local residents and business owners have voiced their frustrations about the seemingly slow response by the county and the overall preparations made by the county.
For the first week after the blizzard, regional services and officials along with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department have organized helicopters to deliver supplies and resources, including warm meals, medicine, and baby supplies to the residents who are unable to obtain these supplies because of the closed highways up the mountains. The state has also sent snow plows and crews from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to help with the situation, along with the California National Guard to help dig out trapped residents. With continued assistance from the county and the state, the communities within the San Bernardino Mountains are slowly starting to rebound and recover from this unprecedented event.