October 16, 2015
CapitalPress.com
9
California
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Chances growing for wet
winter in Northern California
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
SACRAMENTO — As far as Cali-
fornia is concerned, rainfall delayed isn’t
necessarily rainfall denied.
Despite the prognosis for a dry Oc-
tober, forecasters are still bullish on the
chances that winter will be wetter than
normal because of El Nino atmospheric
conditions that are among the strongest
in decades.
Officials from the federal Climate
Prediction Center said last month that El
Nino’s southern storm track could bring
above-average precipitation to areas as
far north as Sacramento. Now it appears
Northern California could get soaked as
well.
“Due to the confidence of a strong
El Nino lasting through the winter, it is
looking more favorable that Northern
California could see above-average pre-
cipitation in the latter part of winter”
from December through March, Nation-
al Weather Service warning coordinator
Michelle Mead said in an email.
Forecasters have been quick to cau-
tion that strong El Nino conditions don’t
always translate into abundant rainfall or
snow in the Sierra Nevada.
But the CPC’s seasonal precipitation
outlook maps show the area with the best
chances of above-average rainfall mov-
ing north as the winter progresses, finally
touching the Oregon state line by Febru-
ary to April. Drier-than-normal weather
is expected to persist in the inland Pacific
Northwest.
Big storms pushing into Northern Cal-
ifornia would help the Golden State’s key
reservoirs. Shasta Lake, the centerpiece
of the federal Central Valley Project, was
at only 34 percent of capacity and 57
percent of its historical average on Oct.
8, while the State Water Project’s Lake
Oroville was at 30 percent of capacity
and 48 percent of normal for that date,
according to the state Department of Wa-
ter Resources.
Over the next few weeks, the CPC en-
visions above-average chances of precip-
itation for Southern California extending
to parts of the San Joaquin Valley, but
Northern California will apparently re-
main dry. According to AccuWeather’s
long-range forecasts, the next big chance
of rain for Sacramento and areas north
could come in the first week of Novem-
ber.
1,969-pound pumpkin wins annual weigh-in
By KRISTIN J. BENDER
and MARCIO SANCHEZ
Associated Press
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. —
A rippled white whopper weigh-
ing in at 1,969 pounds took the ti-
tle Monday for plumpest pumpkin
at an annual San Francisco Bay
Area contest.
Growers gathered with their
gargantuan offerings to try to
break the world record of 2,323
pounds, which was set by a Swiss
grower during a competition in
Germany last year.
It didn’t happen.
But the winning entry at the
Safeway World Championship
Pumpkin Weigh-off in Half
Moon Bay, south of San Fran-
cisco, was no small feat. Steve
Daletas of Pleasant Hill, Ore-
gon, won $12,000 for his lumpy,
1,969-pound pumpkin.
“It’s been a good year,” he
said after the contest. “I’ve nev-
er grown an official 1,900-pound
pumpkin before.”
Forklifts and special har-
nesses carefully placed the mas-
sive pumpkins on an industri-
al-strength digital scale with a
capacity of 5 tons as officials from
the county agricultural commis-
sioner’s Office of Weights, Sealers
and Measures kept close watch.
Second place went to Ron and
Karen Root of Citrus Heights,
California, for their 1,806-pound
entry. A $500 prize also was
awarded to the “most beautiful”
pumpkin based on color, shape
and size.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Steve Daletas, center, of Pleasant Hill, Ore., poses for
photos with his pumpkin, which weighed in at 1,969 pounds
to win the annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin
Weigh-Off Oct. 12 in Half Moon Bay, Calif.
Courtesy Yosemite Sierra Visitors Bureau
A cooking demonstration is held at the 2014 Pomegranate Festival
in Madera, Calif. This year’s festival will branch out to include nuts,
which are grown abundantly in Madera County.
Pomegranate festival to
branch out, include nuts
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
MADERA, Calif. — The
annual Pomegranate Festival
here isn’t just about pomegran-
ates anymore.
The fifth annual event slat-
ed for Nov. 7 will feature al-
monds and pistachios, which
are grown abundantly in
Madera County, in addition to
the unique red fruit that grows
on bushy shrubs or small trees.
“Our tagline is ‘go nuts
for pomegranates,’” said Julie
Fullmer, director of sales and
operations for the Yosemite Si-
erra Visitors Bureau in Made-
ra.
“We do have a lot of pome-
granate products like jelly,
juices and honey,” she said.
“The whole event is all about
pomegranates. But we’re try-
ing to get bigger and add more
agriculture.”
The festival was started to
highlight pomegranates, which
several farms in Madera Coun-
ty were growing. The harvest
of pomegranates proceeds
through the fall in California,
as the fruit is available from
August through December,
the Pomegranate Council has
explained.
Health experts consider
pomegranates a “superfood,”
noting that they are high in
vitamin C and potassium and
low in calories, according to
the council. Acreage of the
fruit has increased in the San
Joaquin Valley in the last 15
years, according to the Califor-
nia Farm Bureau Federation.
However, prices for pome-
granates have flatlined in re-
cent years as more of the fruit
has been diverted to juice,
causing several Madera Coun-
ty growers to switch to other
crops, Fullmer said. Only one
local farm — Home Grown
Cellars in Madera — contin-
ues to grow the fruit, she said.
By contrast, almonds led
the county in value in 2012 at
nearly $458.5 million, while
pistachios in the county gen-
erated nearly $182 million in
value that year, the CFBF re-
ports.
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• More than 240,000 people per month
eat meals from emergency food boxes.
• 33 percent of those who receive
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ground beef and donated to the Oregon Food Bank and their network of 20 regional food banks
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Like us on Facebook
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Images: King County NWCB
Have you seen
this invasive plant?
Garden Loosestrife is an aggressive, perennial plant that can
quickly spread by roots and seeds in wet habitats.
Learn more at www.nwcb.wa.gov
It forms dense stands of upright stems, growing up to 3 or more feet tall. Plants produce extensive rhizomes. Stems and leaves are
covered in hairs. Plants may grow in an area for some time before blooming. Leaves are opposite or in whorls of up to 4. Leaf
undersides are dotted with black or orange glands.
Flowers are in clusters at stem tips and from leaf axils on the upper portion of the stem. Flowers are yellow, primrose-like and
have 5 yellow petals. Plants bloom June to August. Flowers develop into egg-shaped capsules.
Why is garden loosestrife (Lysimachia
vulgaris) a noxious weed?
• Garden loosestrife forms dense stands in
Washington’s wetlands, displacing native
plant communities.
• Its growth is similar to another noxious
weed, purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria),
with which it can grow and potentially
outcompete.
Where do you find flowering rush?
• It grows in moist habitats, such as wetlands,
fens, wet woods, lakeshores and riverbanks.
• Infestations are found primarily in western
Washington, notably King County, but it can
also occur in eastern Washington.
• May be confused with yellow
loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata), which
has single or small clusters of flowers at
leaf bases only, never in a terminal
cluster.
What can you do?
• Learn to correctly identify this Class B
noxious weed.
• Please note that garden loosestrife is
designated for control in much of
Washington State.
• Report any sightings to your county
noxious weed control board or to
noxiousweeds@agr.wa.gov.
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