[verum ago]

For the record, 8 trillion gallons of water is enough for 12 years of water for every residence in California.

Hey, that's an understandable number you've provided for context. Thanks. For further reference for others, it's about 24.5 million acre feet, or about 87% of Lake Mead's capacity. California's average annual total irrigation usage is about 34 million acre feet.

(It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when "journalists" use some very high number to make things sound more impressive. I can deal in annual water usage, or acre feet etc. But trillions of gallons???)

Journalist: OMG, the storm could dump up to 1 013 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 molecules of water!!!!!

And just because everyone loves them as informal units, that's enough water to cover Rhode Island to a depth of almost 25 feet (!). Or to provide the Mississippi River's average annual discharge at Baton Rouge for about 21 days :)

[verum ago]

Just to tack one more one because I’m enjoying myself: 8 trillion gallons, if sold at Sacramento’s current domestic water rate, could pay down about .03% of our current national debt.

[Deaf Smith]

>>a pet peeve of mine

They could have gone with Olympic pools.

s/