I came across an article recently which does a pretty good job of showing in picture form what California is currently experiencing regarding the drought conditions there.
19 March, 2015
Snow in California's Sierra Nevada range typically reaches its greatest depths in late March, covering peaks like Yosemite's famed Half Dome.
But this is the fourth consecutive year of drought in California. Earlier this month, state officials reported that the Sierra snowpack, which much of California relies on for water, is just five percent of its normal depth.
At Yosemite, Half Dome is generally quilted with snow by this time of year. The iconic peak stands roughly 9,000 feet tall -- and is today virtually snow free, with no big snow storms in the forecast for the remainder of the month.
These images, taken by a Yosemite Conservancy webcam, show Half Dome on
March 19 of each year from 2011 to 2015.
March 19, 2011 - Before Drought
March 19, 2012 - First Year of Drought
March 19, 2013 - Second Year of Drought
March 17, 2014 - Third Year of Drought
March 19, 2015 - Fourth Year of Drought
]
Note: The Yosemite Conservancy uses donations to maintain this and other webcams. Go here to donate to the Conservancy. | To see time lapse movies of Half Dome going back nearly a decade, check out HalfDome.net. | March 17th photo used for 2014 due to lack of image for March 19 of that year.
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But this is the fourth consecutive year of drought in California. Earlier this month, state officials reported that the Sierra snowpack, which much of California relies on for water, is just five percent of its normal depth.
At Yosemite, Half Dome is generally quilted with snow by this time of year. The iconic peak stands roughly 9,000 feet tall -- and is today virtually snow free, with no big snow storms in the forecast for the remainder of the month.
These images, taken by a Yosemite Conservancy webcam, show Half Dome on
March 19 of each year from 2011 to 2015.
March 19, 2011 - Before Drought
March 19, 2012 - First Year of Drought
March 19, 2013 - Second Year of Drought
March 17, 2014 - Third Year of Drought
March 19, 2015 - Fourth Year of Drought
]
Note: The Yosemite Conservancy uses donations to maintain this and other webcams. Go here to donate to the Conservancy. | To see time lapse movies of Half Dome going back nearly a decade, check out HalfDome.net. | March 17th photo used for 2014 due to lack of image for March 19 of that year.
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I had the good fortune of standing atop Half Dome back in the early 80's after shall we say, an interesting climb during which I thought at one point that I was going to go sliding down to the valley floor. After summiting, I laid down on top with just my head hanging over the sheer drop and took a photo. But that's a story for another time. The thing is, I was there in the summer and the surrounding countryside looked very similar to the last photo in the series above. And it's only March which means it's going to be a very dry year again in California. In fact, here is a quote from Jay Famiglietti, senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena CA:
“Right now the state has only about one year of water supply left in its reservoirs, and our strategic backup supply, groundwater, is rapidly disappearing,” said Famiglietti. “We’re not just up a creek without a paddle in California, we’re losing the creek too.”
And just to round out the picture here is a map from the US drought monitor site:
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