Third-driest year reported in California
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has marked 2021 as the third-driest water year, a period marked from October to March, on record for the Golden State, potentially setting up another deadly wildfire season after last year’s record setting blazes. The department’s annual snow survey released this month recorded precipitation levels at 50 percent the annual average for the water year. The dry conditions can also be seen in the state’s water supply, with the department reporting that California’s major reservoirs are at just 50 percent of overall capacity.
Related articles:
- Axios: Drought stokes fears of severe fire season in West
- Santa Cruz Sentinel: Santa Cruz Water Commission unanimously recommends water restrictions
- ABC7 News: Petaluma cattle ranchers brace for ‘worst drought ever’ as rainwater runs dry
- Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Editorial: Getting ready for another dry year
- Lake County News: Statewide snowpack well below normal as wet season winds down
- NBC Bay Area: Climate in Crisis: Fire Season Changing
- The Independent: California facing another drought and worse wildfires after unseasonably dry wet season, officials warn
- Mendocino Voice: Inland reservoirs historically low as serious drought looms for Mendocino Co.
- The Coast News Group: Water Authority says no water shortage, despite dry conditions throughout West