Special Report

California drought getting worse

Despite recent rains, the drought in California continues to worsen. This week’s U.S. Drought Monitor shows 99.8 percent of the Golden State is in at least Moderate Drought. 95 percent of the state is in Severe Drought, nearly 72 percent is Extreme and 23 percent is in Exceptional Drought.

The National Drought Summary says the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada stands at about 12 percent of normal. That has prompted Governor Brown to implement mandatory restrictions on water use in the state. For the first time in history the state will not send any water from reservoirs to local agencies affecting one million acres of farmland.