CALIFORNIA, USA — On Thursday morning, the latest drought conditions for the State of California came in from the Drought Monitor Index.
The weekly update shows that Severe Drought conditions remain for the Sacramento Valley.
Multiple storms during the month of December have helped to improve drought conditions. Northern California picked up heavy precipitation which led to a generous snowpack.
Figures and a visual representation of the drought monitor can be viewed below.
- D3 - Extreme Drought, Red - 1%
- D2 - Severe Drought, Orange - 66%
- D1 - Moderate Drought, Tan - 99%
- D0 - Abnormally Dry, Yellow - 100%
As for the latest numbers on the Sierra Snowpack, the numbers are currently pretty good, but more rain and snow are needed to make up for the previous below-average water years. The snowpack figures can be viewed below.
- Northern Sierra: 113%
- Central Sierra: 111%
- Southern Sierra: 116%
- Statewide Average: 113%
- Water Equivalent: 16.1"
California water districts will get more supply than planned
California water officials say they'll release more water than initially planned from state storage to local agencies that provide water to 27 million people.
The Department of Water Resources said Thursday it plans to give water districts 15% of what they've requested in 2022. That's up from the 0% allocation announced in December, a historic low.
The increase comes after a very wet December that dumped huge amounts of snow in the mountains and partially refilled the state's parched reservoirs. But there hasn't been a significant storm in January, and the state remains in drought.
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