The most significant expansion of exceptional drought occurred in the northern part of the state
By Jonathan Lloyd
Exceptional drought conditions expanded this week to include more than half of California, marking a significant increase over just one week for a state in the middle of a third-consecutive dry year.
"Exceptional" drought conditions expanded to more than 58 percent of California, a 22-percent increase over last week's U.S. Drought Monitor report. The weekly report categorizes drought severity into abnormally Dry (D0), Moderate (D1), Severe (D2), Extreme (D3) and Exceptional (D4).
At the start of the year, no part of the state was under the Exceptional category. But that figure increased steadily after the state completed its warmest and third-driest winter on record.
SoCal Water Waste
Exceptional drought spread significantly in the northern part of the state over the past week. Previously, the most severe conditions were confined to the a large swath of the Central Coast and Central Valley.
"Drought indicators point to the fact that conditions are not appreciably better in northern California than in central and southern sections of the state," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report. "In addition, mounting evidence from reservoir levels, river gauges, ground water observations, and socio-economic impacts warrant a further expansion of exceptional drought (D4) into northern California."
Drought Timeline
Storage in California's 154 intrastate reservoirs -- those that are entirely within the state -- was at 60 percent of the historical average at the end of June. The record low is 41 percent of average, which occurred in June 1977.
The disappointing report comes just two days after new regulations, including a $500-per-day fine, went into effect for residents who waste water. The state's water resources agency approved the rules earlier this month, making it illegal for people to hose down driveways and sidewalks, waste water on their lawns or wash vehicles using a hose without a shut-off nozzle.
Gov. Jerry Brown, who declared a statewide drought emergency earlier this year, has asked Californians to reduce water use by 20 percent.
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