California 2023: Current Drought Conditions

California continues to be under the four-year shadow of drought caused by climate change in this region of the United States, exacerbating the state’s hydrological system even further.

According to the California Water Watch website, the water scarcity problem caused by the drought remains acute this year as well.

As this source indicates, precipitation at the end of 2022 amounted to 17.9 inches, which is 76% of the historical average level. Clearly, by the end of 2022, the drought had captured 24% of the state’s water resources or almost a quarter.

This critical climate change situation has led to a total volume of water reserves in the state’s reservoirs at the end of the year, amounting to 14.7 million acre-feet, which is 31% lower than the historical average.

According to forecasts, despite some rainy periods, the drought persists and may well become a continuation of the dry period of 2012-2016

The consequences of the drought are not equally felt throughout California. Different residents experience different consequences of the drought depending on where they live and on the source or sources of their water.

For instance, farmers who raise livestock on non-irrigated pastures and rural residents who depend on private wells are most vulnerable to the effects of the drought.

In contrast, the situation for large urban water agencies that manage numerous water sources is much better because they can withstand several dry years.

However, over time, if the drought continues at the same pace as in recent years, all water users in California will experience the consequences of the drought.

In addition to water scarcity, the 2022 California drought also led to deteriorating air quality in the region due to increased dust and smoke from wildfires caused by the dry weather.

In some California communities, several power outages occurred due to wildfires caused by the drought.

For instance, in Shasta County in the northern part of the state, electricity was cut off in October for more than 50,000 homes and businesses due to the risk of fire caused by strong winds and dry weather.

Also in October 2022, power outages occurred in some areas of Sonoma and Napa counties in northern California due to fire threats.

The decrease in livestock on farms due to food and water shortages has led to the loss of many jobs, which, in turn, has caused the prices of certain food products, such as meat and dairy, to rise.

The California drought has caused the decline of the state’s largest tourism industry due to water usage restrictions and closure of popular attractions such as Yosemite and Redwood, thereby reducing tourism revenues.