Wetter the better

The recent great California deluge probably won’t be the wettest season ever, but scientists marvel at the drenching and outdoor enthusiasts are electrified by the prospects of ideal conditions for the spring.

Soppy Pacific storms have lashed the coast for months, making this winter one of the wettest ever so far and wiping away memories of drought. The National Weather Service says about 21 inches of rain have pounded beaches, drenched hills and soaked deserts this winter -- nearly five times the average.

Since resorts opened -- earlier than ever this winter -- skiers have reveled in the powder fast cloaking the Sierra and the San Bernardino Mountains. The snowpack in the southern Sierra contains 80% more moisture than normal, while the mountains north of Lake Tahoe contain 47% more, according to the state Department of Water Resources.

As the just-add-water environment springs to life, the living is good for plants, animals and people who love the outdoors. The waterfalls and streams that in recent years seemed to exist only in photos gush in a canyon near you. Those hillsides scorched by wildfire sprout new growth of shrubs and grass that attracts deer and other small mammals. Those game birds seemingly scarce in recent years will be seed-fattened.

Although clouds should part later this week, more precipitation is likely. January and February are typically wet months, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts mild El Nino conditions early this year that could lead to more rainfall across the Southwest. El Nino conditions occur when warm tropical water drifts to the eastern Pacific.

“What’s most unusual about this winter is how much rainfall we got from October to December,” says National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Gomberg. “Even if we have a normal January or February or March, we could get another 10 inches, and that puts us up to 25, and that’s pretty significant,” though short of the all-time record of 38.2 inches of rain recorded in 1883-84.

Craig Cunningham, president of the Lake Piru Water Ski Club, sat in his home Friday delighted to watch rain overflow his swimming pool, knowing the same process is at work at lakes across the Southwest. “It’s free water, and it’ll give us a bigger lake to play on. It puts water in coves that were mud and sand and fills them up so we can recreate on them. We are delighted.”

Hunkered down in her West Hollywood home last week, botanist Ileene Anderson rummaged through boxes of slides in preparation for a wildflower show and tell. Rain falling outside her window foretells a bounty of lupines, poppies and goldfields come spring. She recommends “following the bloom” from the low desert near Algodones Dunes to high desert near Tehachapi and Lancaster to the Santa Monica Mountains.

“Almost anywhere you go you’re going to see stuff that hasn’t germinated in years. It’s one of the years botanists are blessed with. I can’t wait to get out there,” Anderson says.

So much rain has fallen in Riverside County that Gary Bradford, president of the California Bass Federation, watched as Canyon Lake spilled over the dam into Lake Elsinore for the last month. He says mudholes like Lake Hodges and Lake Elsinore will rebound, and he predicts excellent bass fishing as reservoirs flood brush and timber to create habitat for spawning fish in spring.

“There’s magic going on in the streams,” says angler Jim Edmondson of Cal Trout. He says drought nearly bled dry trout streams in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, but not this year. “Trout anglers may be stuck in traffic now due to rainfall, but it tempers the anxiety knowing we can look forward to a wonderful fishing season throughout 2005.”

But some outdoors users curse storms. Surfers say wind-whipped waves resembling “Victory at Sea” films ruin big swells, and surging tides erode beaches and surf breaks. Cyclists can expect new ruts on paths, and some routes will be washed out by creeks or ocean waves. Storms ravage hiking trails with mudslides and fallen trees, says Liz Bergeron, executive director of the Pacific Crest Trail Assn.

But Fresno river rat Justin Butchert, owner of Kings River Expeditions, sees only opportunity in a wet winter.

After years of poor stream flows, he already has 3,000 clients booked for whitewater trips on the upper Kings River this year -- twice as many as this time last year -- though he hasn’t started advertising yet.

“It’s been tough in recent years, but we’re looking forward to a fantastic season,” Butchert says. “There’s a lot of pent-up demand, but come July people will be riding the river and wakeboarding in full lakes.”