Massive Amounts Of Rain Combined With Winter's Record Breaking Snowpack Causes Historic Flood In California's Central Valley And Beyond

CORCORAN, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 27: In an aerial view, a vehicle drives through floodwaters in the reemerging Tulare Lake, in California’s Central Valley, on April 27, 2023 near Corcoran, California. Tulare Lake, once the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi River, disappeared when waters were diverted by agricultural interests to irrigate crops in the late 19th and early 20th century. Atmospheric river storm events caused significant flooding in the lakebed area with over 100 square miles of farms and other land currently flooded. The impending Sierra Nevada mountains snowmelt, with snowpack levels around historic highs, could expand the lake size to 200 square miles, threatening farming communities and billions in losses while water could remain in the lakebed for up to two years. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)