SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The U.S. Drought Monitor shows extreme drought expanding into parts of Nevada and Placer Counties. Meanwhile, the rest of the state remained unchanged.
After a huge start to what is typically the wettest time of year for the state, the precipitation pipeline shut down in January and never regained strength through March. Historically, this means the state is past the point of no return to dig out of drought conditions for the rest of the rainy season as average rain and snow totals dwindle to nearly nothing by June.
The gains from big storms in October and December have now dried up with huge losses of Sierra snow, especially as the state cycled through periods of near record heat.
Snowpack has dropped to about 30% of normal for the state, which provides a third of the water to the state during the dry season. During the spring, the snow melts and runs downhill to fill area reservoirs and to provide water to the state.
Water managers are warning there will be limited water delivery due to low snowmelt coming from the Sierra.
The April snow survey showed averages dropped from a high of near 200% early in the year to just 4% at the Phillips Station monitoring site.
Going into the third year of drought, conservation continues to be key to serve water to as many people as possible through the dry season.
WATCH ALSO:
