California Headed Back To Drought, Report Says

LOS ANGELES, CA -- California is headed back to a drought. At least three counties —Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara —are in a severe drought, while nearly half of the state is in a moderate drought.

The dry conditions, which also parts of Nevada and Arizona, are detailed in the latest report by the U.S. Drought Monitor, research compiled by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Drought Monitor said the West Coast is experiencing weather that is more typical for spring than mid-winter.

"Reports from drought wells in the southeast part of the state show declines more rapid than experts have ever seen down there, although some of the decline may be due to increased demand as ponds are drying up," researchers wrote. "Temperatures during the last three months have been well above average for much of the Southwest, including California, and this has increased evaporative demand which tends to dry out vegetation, soils, and water resources faster than under normal temperature conditions. The increased evaporation, combined with low precipitation, has helped expand drought in the Southwest."

Although the state is able to handle droughts "reasonably well," the state is experiencing "long-term precipitation deficits" in southern California, researchers said.

State officials also reported that California's snowpack conditions are at 4.9 inches, 27 percent of the Feb. 1 average.

The state of California ended the drought state of emergency in April 2017, about three years after residents were asked to reduce water usage.

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