Unexpectedly Wet Winter Overwhelms Dry California

An unusually wet rainy season is testing the limits of California’s water management system, with reservoirs across the state reaching capacity.

A firefighter carries a woman from her car after it was caught in street flooding as a powerful storm moved across Southern California in Sun Valley, Calif. on Feb. 17. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES—An unusually wet and rainy season is testing the limits of California’s water management system, with some reservoirs in Northern California reaching near capacity, increasing the risk of severe flooding.

“While we needed rain, we’re getting too much to manage at this point,” said Kelly Sanders, assistant professor of engineering at the University of Southern California (USC). “[It] has really shown some of our deficiencies in our infrastructure.”