http://www.newsweek.com/newsweek-com-california-rain-flooding-ocean-nasa-space-drought-snowpack-1775353

For the past three weeks, California has been battered by a series of torrential winter storms. Several regions across the state have already surpassed their annual total rainfall since October, and over 32 trillion gallons of rain have fallen since December 26. But despite three of the driest years on record, much of this precious water has been lost to the ocean.

After a certain amount of rain, the soil becomes saturated and cannot absorb any more water. As a result, the rainwater runs off into nearby waterways, often taking some of the surface soil with it. This can be seen in satellite imagery from the NASA Earth Observatory, which shows caramel-colored sediment swirling around San Pablo Bay, fed by a light-brown Sacramento River.