SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A big change in drought conditions came out Thursday morning for all of California.
With an update from the US Drought Monitor, 73% of California is now listed in Extreme Drought, the second most severe classification the US Drought Monitor utilizes.
So far, 5% of California is listed as being in Exceptional Drought, which is the US Drought Monitor's top-level drought designation.
The increase to 73% is a significant jump from 53% in Extreme Drought from last week. This news comes on the heels of other drought changes, such as water restrictions for agriculture north of the Delta.
Two counties have had official drought declarations by Gov. Newsom in Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
California's fire season has been off to a busy start already within the first few weeks of May with almost double the number of fires compared to last year and more than 12,000 acres burned.
Dry weather should persist for the next week or two in Northern California.
READ MORE STORIES ABOUT CALIFORNIA'S DROUGHT ON ABC10:
- California's fire season is off to a fast start as people try to clear defensible space
- California fire officials warn of dangerous 2021 wildfire season
- Drought conditions have California farmers considering all options
- New California drought on path of previous megadrought
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California State Fair postponed as Cal Expo will continue to operate vaccination site through summer. Cal Expo's mass vaccinations site will continue to operate until at least September.
