River Notes Archive

• Sierra South Rapid! News Feed! • Shop at the Sierra South River Store! • Check which New Kayaks are on Sale! • Browse New & Used Kayaks, Rafts & Gear! • Kayak Comparison Chart • 2006 Class Info & Class Calendar • 2006 Event Calendar • Kern Festival 2006 Photos & Results • "Around the Kern" Resource Guide • News from the Past...

Updated 10/14/06 o American Rivers marked the 38th Anniversary of the signing of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by announcing a challenge to designate 40 new Wild & Scenic rivers by the 40th Anniversary in 2008. That initiative notched its first win with passage of legislation to designate a section of the Black Butte River and its tributary Cold Creek in California. More. o In a major victory for wildlife protection, federal Magistrate Judge Elizabeth La Porte of the Northern District of California today threw out a controversial Bush administration Roadless Rule and reinstated protections for over 58 million acres of roadless National Forests, making them off-limits to logging, road construction, and other development. More. o Summer 2006 was the second warmest June-to-August period in the continental U.S. since records began in 1895, according to scientists at the NOAA National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Additionally, the 2006 January-to-August period was the warmest on record for the continental U.S. More. o The globe is warming, but the American West is really cooking - hotter and faster on average than the rest of the U.S. and the world, according to a leading climate researcher. More. o California is blessed with some of the most beautiful and diverse rivers in the world. From the steep creeks of the high Sierra to the broad and powerful rivers of the Central Valley, each river tells a personal story and provides a unique experience to the visitor. More. Splashes: Rolling - AW Safety Code - River Quotes - Foamies - Water Art

River Notes for Friday, December 22, 2006

Important information about River Notes.

Happy Holidays & Best Wishes for the New Year from all of us at Sierra South! If you're in the neighborhood stop by and say hi. Except for Christmas and New Year's Day, our Kernville store and customer service department will be open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. If you need a last minute gift a Sierra South Gift Certificate can be ordered and redeemed online.

In the past two weeks snow sensors in the Kern River basin have recorded from about an inch, to as much as 5 inches, snow water equivalent of precipitation. Here's a part of an NRL Aqua-MODIS high resolution satellite image from Wednesday that shows the snow in the Kings and Kern drainages. If you look near the bottom of the photo, you'll see Lake Isabella. We're located just north of the lake!

The Climate Prediction Center released its latest seasonal forecasts on December 21st. The precipitation outlook for Jan.-Feb.-Mar. continues to reflect the expected impacts from the current El Niño. However this has been a quirky, late onset El Niño, and its effects my differ from what is considered usual.

The most recent runs of the GFS and ECMWF keep most of the precipitation to the north of the Kern basin until around New Year's, when a system is projected to bring some precipitation to the southern half of the state. That's a long way out, and even the forecast for the next few days will likely change. We'll see whether there is a change to wetter pattern by the first of the year!

What do you do when you have one of top all-around river-running playboats on the water? You make it even better! Jackson Kayaks has refined the design of the Fun series so that it is more comfortable, more forgiving, more playable, even easier to roll, and well... even more fun! We expect to have the new Funs in stock soon, and are accepting preorders now. For more information call 1-800-376-7303.

If you are looking for a new boat, check out the recreational, touring, whitewater kayaks, inflatable kayaks, and kayaks in our Boat Barns. We have new Wave Sport Projects, Diesels and Habitats in stock and ready to put under your Christmas tree! Bring up your old boat and let us sell it on consignment in the Used Boat Barn. We have great results selling used boats. Call us @ 760-376-3745 for details.

Need paddling gear? The Sierra South River Store is loaded with Holiday goodies and sale items. Before you buy gear from a store that only exists on a computer, check out our River Store. We're located in Kernville, California, just yards from the Kern River. We are river people. Our river guides, kayak instructors, and outfitter store employees actually use the products we sell. Need help? Call us, and you'll talk to a knowledgeable person that can answer your gear questions.

The 2006-2007 El Niño has continued to strengthen. Dr. Klaus Wolter's Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) for October/November increased from 1.03 to 1.29. This moves the MEI above the strong El Niño threshold, as defined by the index, but is still well below that observed in the very strong 1997-1998 event, when the MEI peaked at 2.85. It is the 5th highest MEI for all October-November values (since 1950). and is the highest ranked value since April-May 1998. The ENSO Diagnostic Discussion issued December 7 by the CPC/NCEP projects that El Niño conditions are likely to continue through May 2007.

Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2007 season will mark our 22nd year on the Kern River!

Our world-famous Lickety-Split and Lickety-Blaster raft trips are far and away the two most popular and most affordable Class 2-3 whitewater rafting runs available on the Kern River. Both are full of enough excitement to challenge just about everyone from young tikes to grandmas and grandpas. Already paddled the Kern? Click here to find photos of your raft trip!

Learn to kayak! Our proven teaching method takes you through a gradual progression that maximizes the fun. We've designed our beginning class for those who have never river kayaked before, or who have played around with kayaking some, but have not had formal instruction in the fundamentals of river kayaking. We also offer a 5-day total immersion learn-to-kayak class. Our Kayaking School page has all the details on these, and other whitewater and lake touring kayak classes!

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.

More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.

River Notes for Friday, December 8, 2006

Important information about River Notes.

If the computer weather models have their way, it looks like some Winter weather may be headed for the Sierra this weekend. This morning's GFS projects that over the next two weeks a series of systems could produce about 2 inches (water equivalent) of snow at the higher elevations of the Southern Sierra. We'll see!

What do you do when you have one of top all-around river-running playboats on the water? You make it even better! Jackson Kayaks has refined the design of the Fun series so that it is more comfortable, more forgiving, more playable, even easier to roll, and well... even more fun! We expect to have the new Funs in stock soon, and are accepting preorders now. For more information call 1-800-376-7303.

If you are looking for a new boat, check out the recreational, touring, whitewater kayaks, inflatable kayaks, and kayaks in our Boat Barns. We have new Wave Sport Projects, Diesels and Habitats in stock and ready to put under your Christmas tree! Bring up your old boat and let us sell it on consignment in the Used Boat Barn. We have great results selling used boats. Call us @ 760-376-3745 for details.

The thought of mountain snows and blustery Winter weather have us looking forward to the Holidays. Need some gift ideas for your friends and family? The Sierra South River Store is loaded with Holiday goodies and sale items. Don't know what to get? You can't go wrong with a Sierra South Gift Certificate.

The 2006-2007 El Niño has continued to strengthen. Dr. Klaus Wolter's Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) for October/November increased from 1.03 to 1.29. This moves the MEI above the strong El Niño threshold, as defined by the index, but is still well below that observed in the very strong 1997-1998 event, when the MEI peaked at 2.85. The ENSO Diagnostic Discussion issued December 7 by the CPC/NCEP projects that El Niño conditions are likely to continue through May 2007.

NOAA released its final Winter Outlook for the 2006-2007 U.S. Winter season on November 16. The revised outlook indicates a somewhat better chance of a wetter than normal Winter in Southern California, than the outlook issued October 19. The outlook takes into account expected impacts resulting from the developing El Niño, and other factors.

Sierra South has been running raft trips, and teaching kayaking classes on the Kern River since 1985. The 2007 season will mark our 22nd year on the Kern River!

Our world-famous Lickety-Split and Lickety-Blaster raft trips are far and away the two most popular and most affordable Class 2-3 whitewater rafting runs available on the Kern River. Both are full of enough excitement to challenge just about everyone from young tikes to grandmas and grandpas. Already paddled the Kern? Click here to find photos of your raft trip!

Need paddling gear? Before you buy gear from a store that only exists on a computer, check out our River Store. We're located in Kernville, California, just yards from the Kern River. We are river people. Our river guides, kayak instructors, and outfitter store employees actually use the products we sell. Need help? Call us, and you'll talk to a knowledgeable person that can answer your gear questions.

Learn to kayak! Our proven teaching method takes you through a gradual progression that maximizes the fun. We've designed our beginning class for those who have never river kayaked before, or who have played around with kayaking some, but have not had formal instruction in the fundamentals of river kayaking. We also offer a 5-day total immersion learn-to-kayak class. Our Kayaking School page has all the details on these, and other whitewater and lake touring kayak classes!

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.

More information concerning flow and weather can be found on our LINKS page.

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