SACRAMENTO – (INT) - As part of an effort to identify how climate change might impact the State Highway System, Caltrans is releasing three Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments.

They will focus on the risks posed to the transportation system by wildfires, extreme temperatures and precipitation, sea-level rise and coastal-bluff erosion in Southern California.

The reports cover Imperial, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties and include an interactive mapping application that shows where and how climate change is expected to have an impact.

In recent years, Southern California has been beset by destructive and deadly wildfires, record heat waves, comparatively wet winters and more frequent mudslides.
These general climate trends are expected to continue in California and the rest of the West region:

• More-severe droughts, less snowpack, and changes in water availability.
• Rising sea levels, more-severe storm impacts, and coastal erosion.
• Increased temperatures and more-frequent, longer heat waves.
• Longer and more-severe wildfire seasons.

Upon completion of all 12 assessments, Caltrans will develop adaptation reports for each region.

Story Date: October 12, 2019