All of Calif. in severe drought for 1st time this century [View all]

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Source: USA Today

Today, for the first time this century, the entire state of California is in a severe (or worse) drought.

This is according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that tracks drought across the country. It first began in 2000.

The level of drought in California is "unprecedented," at least during the 14-year-history of the monitor, according to climatologist Mark Svoboda of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Neb.

The three worst levels of drought are severe, extreme and exceptional: 100% of the state is now in one of those three categories: (23.31% is severe, 51.92.% is extreme and 24.77% is exceptional.) The other, least intense category, is called "moderate."

Exceptional drought encompasses central parts of the state, including the entire Bay Area. San Diego and Los Angeles -- where wildfires have scorched a 14-square mile area of Southern California. this week -- are both under "extreme" drought conditions

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Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/05/15/california-drought/9124415/