(Links and other information are historical in nature and may no
longer be correct. Products referenced in the archives may no longer
be available. References to products on sale do not apply.) |
o The Bush administration has proposed giving dam owners the exclusive right to appeal Interior Department rulings about how dams should be licensed and operated on American rivers, through a little-noticed regulatory tweak that could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the hydropower industry. MSNBC. Also see. o What rescue equip. do you carry? Shoes, of course, though I'm pretty optimistic. Most down-days I carry rope, knife, handpaddles, couple caribiners, Cliff bar, lighter, and one Petzl Ti-bloc. I've got a little Adventure Medical Kit I've enhanced with Lortabs, Flexeril, and a space blanket for steep, remote, or long days. I've got a wad of orange flagging tape I use to mark new wood on popular runs. I carry more food, gloves, balaclava, and headlamp for cold days or late starts. . .West Coast/ international creeking I've got float-bags, iodine or a water filter, and a firm knowledge of my walk-out options (or map). People often forget how much safety equipment you can store in your brain - weight free.(Clay Wright) More o Misconception: Rivers that flow through federal land (National Parks, National Forests, etc.) belong to federal agencies, whose "river management plans" can determine when, and if, navigation and recreation will be allowed. Fact: Physically navigable rivers that flow through federal lands are still held in trust for the public by the states. River management plans must preserve the public's paramount rights to navigate and recreate on these rivers. More. o Foamies are miniature Whitewater boats with miniature paddlers... They ride the rapids much like actual boaters. They run waterfalls and perform Whitewater Rodeo tricks, too... More. If you have a high speed connection - Video. o Anybody can have a bombproof roll.- Just like you learned how to roll in the first place, you can learn how to always roll up. You will be a much happier person on the river when you know you will always roll up. Kayaking will be safer, and more rewarding, as your skills increase quickly with a bomb proof roll. More Splashes: Athens 2004 - AW Safety Code - River Quotes - Reno Rodeo Video - Water Art |
Important information about River Notes.
A vigorous early season storm dumped from 2 to 5 feet of snow in higher elevations of the Sierra, stranding several hikers in the backcountry, closing roads, and causing other problems. On the positive side, Mammoth Mountain and Boreal Mountain ski resorts opened early, and the Sierra snowpack appears to be off to a great start. Remote sensors in the Kern River basin recorded from about 1.5 to 3.0 inches of precipitation with sensors above about 9000 ft. showing approximately 2.5 inches water equivalent of snow on the ground. At the moment, the next chance for significant snow looks to be in the Tuesday -Wednesday timeframe.
Update 10/28/2004 8:00 A.M. Kern River basin snowpack (inches water equivalent): Upper Tyndall Creek 2.6, Crabtree Meadow 2.6, Chagoopa Plateau 3.3, Pascoes 3.3, Tunnel Guard Station 2.9, Wet Meadows 4.1, Casa Vieja Meadows 2.6, Beach Meadows 0.4. Last year the first significant snow was Oct. 29.
Summer whitewater rafting and kayaking photos make great Christmas gift. Share the memories with family and friends. A popular idea is to purchase a CD of your rafting/kayaking adventure and take it to your nearest digital photo processor (Costco, Walmart, & Walgreens all have very inexpensive prices on 5x7s). Insert photos into your christmas cards. Or, 5x7 frames can be bought for under $3. Mention you read about the Christmas CD promotion on our River Notes and receive free shipping on your CD. Our user-friendly Whitewater Photo Search should help you get to your photo. Call us for help if you have trouble.
NOAA released it's updated Winter Outlook October 21st. It forecasts "equal chances" of below average, average, or above average precipitation for Southern California for the period Dec-Feb, but maintains an increased chance of above average precipitation for Jan-Mar, Feb-Apr and Mar-May.
Whether the current El Niño evolves into a moderate event could significantly alter its impact on Southern Sierra weather. Generally, the stronger the El Niño, the more precipitation in the the southern half of California. The development of the current El Niño stalled somewhat last month, but during the last 30 days an area of equatorial SST anomalies near the date line has increased to above 1.5°C. This may have been due in part to an area of enhanced tropical convection associated with the Madden-Julian Oscillation, which some scientists believe is closely related to El Niño development.
For those of you who missed out on our Sizzlin' Summer Sale, we still have some boats left. Our boat inventory varies daily. Please call 1-800-376-7303 if you are interested in a specific boat and don't see it on our New Boat Barn or Used Boat Barn. New and used kayaks under 9 feet can be shipped anywhere in the continental United States for only $75.00. Please call for a quote on all other boats.
Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.
Upper Kern |
Lower Kern |
||||||||
| Above Fairview* | Below Fairview* | At Kernville | Lake Isabella | Below Democrat Dam* | |||||
| Date & Time | Flow (cfs) | Flow (cfs) | Stage | Flow (cfs) | Total Outflow | to River | to Borel Canal | Storage (acre-feet) |
Flow (cfs) |
| 22OCT2004 1100 | -- | -- | 4.64 | 228 | 297 | 126 | 171 | 95579 | -- |
| Kern Flow Info | Current | 5 Day Plot | 10 Day Plot | Month | WY '04 | WY '03 | WY '02 | WY '01 | WY '00 |
| Weather | NWS | NWS Zones | CNN | Washington Post | Satellite | Radar | Kernville RAWS | RAWS Archive | |
| *Flow values from SCE Flow Phone. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE the flow values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty. | |||||||||
More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.
o Foamies are miniature Whitewater boats with miniature paddlers... They ride the rapids much like actual boaters. They run waterfalls and perform Whitewater Rodeo tricks, too... More. If you have a high speed connection - Video. o Anybody can have a bombproof roll.- Just like you learned how to roll in the first place, you can learn how to always roll up. You will be a much happier person on the river when you know you will always roll up. Kayaking will be safer, and more rewarding, as your skills increase quickly with a bomb proof roll. More o Whitewater Slalom can be traced to September 11, 1932 in Switzerland, where the first races were on flatwater, though the sport soon switched to natural swift streams. However, the Second World War quickly intervened and retarded the sport’s growth until 1949. Postwar development falls naturally into three distinct periods. More: USACK Olympic Slalom Team Media Guide (PDF) o World Cup slalom is based mainly in Europe, where it is very popular. Last year's worlds, held in Augsburg, drew about 52,000 over a long weekend and was widely televised. The top European paddlers, such as Schmidt, two-time Olympic gold medalist Stepanka Hilgertova of the Czech Republic and two-time world champion Fabien Lefevre of France, can draw upon deeply funded resources for coaching, equipment and travel expenses. More: Olympic Dream Is Waterproof Splashes: Athens 2004 - AW Safety Code - River Quotes - Reno Rodeo Video - Water Art |
Important information about River Notes.
Over the next few days look for Winter to return to the Sierra. By Thursday morning, a series of three increasingly potent systems are forecast to produce a total of 4+ inches water equivalent in the Northern & Central Sierra, and in the neighborhood of 2 inches water equivalent in the Southern Sierra.
NOAA released it's initial Winter Outlook October 6th. As expected, the outlook "reflects a blend of impacts associated with weak-to-moderate El Niño events in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean and is based on the likelihood that these conditions will persist through early 2005."
The long term Precipitation Outlooks, issued by the CPC September 16, 2004, start to show an El Niño like pattern with the Dec-Jan-Feb Precipitation Outlook. The CPC's discussion of these forecasts takes a wait and see attitude, and stresses that El Niño impacts will "depend critically on the evolution of SSTs in the eastern Pacific and the coupling between the atmosphere and SST anomalies."
Whether the current El Niño evolves into a moderate event could significantly alter its impact on Southern Sierra weather. Increases in the Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) and decreases in the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) stalled in September. The Aug/Sep value of the MEI was 0.577, down slightly from 0.602 in Jul/Aug. The SOI decreased from -7.6 in August to -2.8 in September. In a survey of eleven ENSO forecasts updated September 29, 2004, only two models predict NINO3 anomaly exceeding +0.8°C as of February 2005. However, it should also be noted that the latest value of the MEI ranks it in the upper third (39/55) of MEI values for the season. According to Dr. Klaus Wolter, the MEI behavior still resembles that recorded during 1979, which evolved to a moderate El Niño event during the Winter of 1979-80.
While current conditions and model forecasts suggest that the El Niño of 2004-2005 may remain weak, with little impact on Southern California, it is really too early to tell. ENSO forecast models have only modest skill, and it is not unusual during an El Niño event for significant index increases to occur in mid-winter, or even late winter. In 1979-1980 the MEI increased from 0.699 in Sep/Oct to 1.034 in Nov/Dec; and in 1991-1992 it increased from .755 in Aug/Sep to 2.247 in Mar/Apr!
Based on the information that is currently available, the prudent climatologist would probably forecast "more or less average" precipitation in the Southern Sierra with a slightly increased chance of above average precipitation. But should the pattern continue to evolve like the El Niño of 1979-80, and behave in a similar manner, the Southern Sierra could receive significantly more precipitation than normal. We'll see!
For those of you who missed out on our Sizzlin' Summer Sale, we still have some boats left. Our boat inventory varies daily. Please call 1-800-376-7303 if you are interested in a specific boat and don't see it on our New Boat Barn or Used Boat Barn. Thanks for a great season!
Here is a snapshot of today's flow and reservoir data, based on reports from the Corps of Engineers (COE) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Click on "Current" to get the latest COE info. For SCE flow information, call the flow phone at 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE, the flow phone values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty.
Upper Kern |
Lower Kern |
||||||||
| Above Fairview* | Below Fairview* | At Kernville | Lake Isabella | Below Democrat Dam* | |||||
| Date & Time | Flow (cfs) | Flow (cfs) | Stage | Flow (cfs) | Total Outflow | to River | to Borel Canal | Storage (acre-feet) |
Flow (cfs) |
| 16OCT2004 0500 | -- | -- | 4.31 | 146 | 159 | 19 | 140 | 95132 | -- |
| Kern Flow Info | Current | 5 Day Plot | 10 Day Plot | Month | WY '04 | WY '03 | WY '02 | WY '01 | WY '00 |
| Weather | NWS | NWS Zones | CNN | Washington Post | Satellite | Radar | Kernville RAWS | RAWS Archive | |
| *Flow values from SCE Flow Phone. For current information call 877-537-6356 or 760-376-8821. According to SCE the flow values reported for Above & Below Fairview, and Below Democrat Dam are updated every 5-10 seconds. All other flow phone data is manually updated twice a day (7am & 2pm) when an operator is on duty. | |||||||||
More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.
