California Braces for Snow-Fed Floods Months After Major Storms

California’s San Joaquin Valley has been hit hard by winter storms, with flooding causing an estimated $40m in damages. Farmers in the area have been particularly affected, with many having to evacuate their livestock and find new sources of feed when one farm is flooded. The melting snowpack has already caused issues across the state, with Yosemite National Park set to close due to swollen rivers from warming snow. Communities in hubs of agricultural production such as Tulare and Kings County have seen wide swathes of farmland submerged under floodwater, with residents witnessing the reemergence of Tulare Lake. The stakes are high for California’s agricultural sector, with Kings and Tulare counties producing more than $2.3bn and $8bn worth of agricultural products respectively in 2021.