California braces for summer floods as snowpack melts and water levels rise.

Thousands of acres of farmland in California's Central Valley have been flooded due to heavy rain, and the melting of the massive snowpack on the Sierra Nevada could triple the flood's size by summer, costing billions in losses and threatening surrounding communities. The resuscitation of Tulare Lake, which dried up decades ago due to farmers consuming too much Sierra Nevada runoff, has added to the concern. Climate change is exacerbating extreme weather events, and a worst-case scenario could turn Tulare Lake into a vast, inland sea.