California's Current Drought Evident By Low Levels In Lake Oroville
OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 27: Low water levels are visible at Lake Oroville on April 27, 2021 in Oroville, California. Four years after then California Gov. Jerry Brown signed an executive order to lift the California's drought emergency, the state has re-entered a drought emergency with water levels dropping in the state's reservoirs. Water levels at Lake Oroville have dropped to 42 percent of its 3,537,577 acre-foot capacity. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The past weekend has witnessed a rain system that came through Southern California and other parts of the state. It moved through, but did not leave much water on the ground.

Based on several experts, the majority of parts of the state of California are already experiencing drought conditions and it has a high possibility of continuing to worsen. On Sunday, it is very possible to miss the rain or only drizzle in some parts of the state. Places like Santa Rosa in the Bay Area were expecting half an inch of rain.
Also, Assistant Santa Rosa Fire Marshall Paul Lowenthal shared that luckily it rained, but in reality, the state ended up with quite a bit less rain. Lowenthal also added that they are anticipating a potentially long dry summer.

He also added that the agency is likely to officially declare an early start to fire season. Starting it in just a matter of weeks. Individuals who are currently looking at the numbers state that the outlook is not a good one.

According to ABC7, Nick VinZant of QuoteWizard.com stated that 85% of California is in severe, extreme, or exceptional drought after taking a look at the numbers. Compared to last year, only 12% of the state was at the same level in terms of numbers.

Moreover, individuals under the water agency East Bay Mud say that their board will vote on Tuesday on declaring a stage 1 drought. The board would ask for a 10% voluntary reduction of water use district-wide, but the depletion would not impact the cost of the water.

In addition, Andrea Pook of the East Bay Municipal Utility District so in the East Bay, it is looking like the driest year ever for them. Currently, there is no added financial burden to their customers.

Furthermore, much of the water supply came from the Sierra foothills where they are currently at around 50% of average yearly precipitation. A number of the latest fires in the Bay Area have cleared fuels on the ground. However, in some locations, it is a different story especially where past fires burned.

Lowenthal also added that a lot of the areas have regrown with invasive types of species, scotch broom, and other types of stuff that was actually worse than it was in 2017. Also, water conservation officials agree that they are using much less water now compared to before the previous droughts. Firefighters and homeowners nowadays are much better prepared for wildfires due to their experiences in the past, The Guardian reported.

Lake Oroville Situation

The latest stunning photos of Lake Oroville justified the drought emergency declared in two Northern California counties by California State Governor Gavin Newsom.

Currently, water levels at Lake Oroville reached a 42% drop out of its 3,537,577 acre-foot capacity. Conditions are specifically acute in Mendocino and Sonoma counties because the supply of the local water depends on the rainfall in the Russian River watershed, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The second parched winter in a row has left the reservoirs of the region in even worse shape compared to the severe drought that lasted in 2012-16.