Water Year 2023: Weather Whiplash, from Drought to Deluge

Water Year 2023 demonstrated California’s high climate variability, ending the state’s driest consecutive three-year period with one of the snowiest years of record. Even though California has been experiencing a theme of aridity in the 21st century (the statewide droughts of 2007-2009, 2012-2019, and 2020-2022), Water Year 2017 was the state’s second wettest in terms of statewide precipitation. Climate change is expected to amplify naturally occurring variability in the long term, potentially result in a shorter wet season for California but one with more extreme atmospheric river storms and hence potentially greater flood damage risk.