California Faces An Extremely Cruel And Dry Summer
California's final snow survey of the year doesn't bring any good news for the drought-stricken state.
On Thursday, water officials said that the water content in the statewide snowpack was 18% of normal for the date. The snow in the Sierra mountains provides roughly one-third of water used for cities and farms as it melts during the spring months and flows into streams and reservoirs.
"California's reservoirs obviously will not be significantly replenished by a melting snowpack this spring and summer," the Department of Water Resources said in a news release.
The snowpack is measured during the wet season and normally peaks at the beginning of April, according to NBC News' local affiliate in Southern California. On April 1, the water content was at 32% of normal for that time of year.
The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that entire state is under moderated to exceptional drought, which follows three extremely dry years.
U.S. Drought Monitor
"Anyone who doesn't think conservation is important should drive up the hill and take a look," Mark Cowin, the director of California's Department of Water Resources, said in a statement. "Coupled with half our normal rainfall and low reservoir storage, our practically nonexistent snowpack reinforces the message that we need to save every drop we can just to meet basic needs."
The Climate Prediction Center, which issued its latest seasonal drought outlook on April 17, said that the drought will continue and likely worsen throughout California going into a much drier time of year. The dark brown patches in the map below indicate areas where an ongoing drought is expected to intensify.
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- 9 health benefits of drinking sugarcane juice in summer
- 10 benefits of incorporating almond oil into your daily diet
- From heart health to detoxification: 10 reasons to eat beetroot
- Why did a NASA spacecraft suddenly start talking gibberish after more than 45 years of operation? What fixed it?
- ICICI Bank shares climb nearly 5% after Q4 earnings; mcap soars by ₹36,555.4 crore