For the first time since 1864, California has not had a single drop of rain all February. Usually, this is one of the state’s wettest months. Previous records show that the years with the least amount of rain was 1899 with 0.04 inches, 1896 with 0.09 inches, 1913 with 0.16 inches, and 2017 with 0.26 inches of rain. Now, the new decade is going down in the books as the year with 0.0 inches of rain.
The U.S. Drought Monitor claims that the absence of rain is pushing California into drought-like conditions. According to the Mercury News, areas that have recently been in a fire—like the Sonoma, Napa, Lake, and Mendocino counties—are prone to another. The city of Rocklin, about twenty-two miles out of Sacramento, has recruited about thirteen hundred sheeps and goats to feed on fields of grass to prevent any that might be a catalyst for the upcoming fire season that may be coming sooner rather than later. Looking at the drought monitor, a third of the state is abnormally dry. But thanks to the massive amounts of rain California received in 2019, reservoirs are full. The state is able to use that water for this year, but even then, people are still hoping for a miracle in March to show signs of rainfall. |
Not only is California lacking in rain, but also in snow. At the beginning of 2020, the snow was 90% of the historical average. Two months of dry weather later, the snow declined to a 53% average according to The Guardian. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, predicts to The Guardian that by March, this percentage is going to be under fifty. These mountain snow patches hold about a third of California’s water supply and with the lack of snowfall, droughts and forest fires seem inevitable in the upcoming months.
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As of the twentieth century, the Earth has increased two degrees above its normal average temperature. The number doesn't seem like much, but the effects are showing. In 2019, days usually saw temperatures around the 60s. In 2020, California has experienced many days with high 60s and 70s weather in winter (according to AccuWeather.com) —with the lack of rain and snow playing a big part. |