Atmospheric rivers she has known

Since this past winter was a bust snow-wise in California, and it looks like no more free water is coming from the Pacific for awhile, why not remember the better and wetter times. Scientist Grace Peng blogged Wednesday that "I can't bring rain to drought-plagued California, but I can bring virtual showers by making movies showing historic Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) that hit California." She focuses on about a two-week period at the end of 2004 and start of 2005. She explains her work with some animations.

Meanwhile, remember that the drought is not just about the dearth of water — but also about the heat and dryness baking the state's forests and farms and increasing the need for water. The heat settling in this week is not good news.

"The mercury will be on the rise across California through the rest of the week, challenging records across much of the state and helping to intensify the ongoing drought," says Accuweather.com. "Records could fall from Redding to Sacramento and across the Southern Californian cities of Los Angeles and San Diego."

Also: Check out these pictures of Yosemite's Half Dome over five increasingly dry winters.

Editor's note: Dates fixed