As Northern California braces for probable groundwater pumping curtailment orders from the State Water Resources Control Board next week, the latest drought monitor released by the National Climatic Data Center this week shows that the entire state for the first time in 15 years is under moderate drought conditions, but within that map, 76.6% of the state is experiencing extreme drought conditions, and for 24.7% of the state, the level of dryness is “exceptional.”
During the same period last year none of the state was considered to be under extreme or exceptional drought conditions and just 30% fell under the “severe” category, according to the assessment released Thursday.
“This is a really serious situation here in California and people need to be cognizant of that and start conserving water as much as they can,” said Jayme Laber, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service who is part of a team of scientists who contribute to the weekly drought monitor.