[jfoutz]

Global warming means there is more energy in the system. It's like turning up the volume. Imagine a driven pendulum, it's just adding a bigger kick so the whole thing swings farther and faster. Of course I'm a layman, but I think experts would generally agree with my simplistic metaphors.

And, yeah, this is pretty much what was forecast [1]. The risks are coping with the long dry spells, and the heavy rain. 5 inches of rain in a day can be ugly if you're not ready.

[1]http://news.stanford.edu/2017/03/21/heavy-california-rains-p...