The Rainy Season Is Now Over, And 91% Of Cailfornia Is In Some Stage Of Drought
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The credit for any sort of moisture this rainy season belongs to only a few storms, most notably the late January atmospheric river, which was responsible for 50% of this year's all important snowpack. Another example of how crucial the storm systems are here.
That said, it wasn't enough to get us to "normal." And without a miracle March to save us, we're left with a snowpack across the Sierra that's only 61% of average for April 1. That's concerning because a significant portion of water for our landscapes and reservoirs comes from the snowpack, especially through the dry months.
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Both the Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville reservoirs have been depleted to levels close to those seen in 2014 during the previous drought. (California Department of Water Resources)
Most notably, Shasta and Oroville, which are just about at or below 65% of their historic average. California naturally swings between wet and dry periods, but climate change could be intensifying those extremes and increasing the likelihood of drought conditions.
WHAT'S THE STATE'S RESPONSE?
The second year of a drought is when we start to see larger impacts to our water stores and state officials have recognized that. Limits on water allocations, similar to what we saw during the worst of our last drought, have started to be put into place. And in late March, California's Water Resources Board told the state's 40,000 water rights holders to get ready to conserve. It's unclear if and when an official drought declaration might be made by Gov. Gavin Newsom, but if conditions continue as they've been, it's likely.
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https://laist.com/2021/04/01/drought_california_heat_climate_change_wildfire_april_snowpack.php
