California recorded one of its driest water years, receiving just half the amount of precipitation that falls during an average 12 months.
A water year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. After adding up precipitation measurements recorded at its different stations during the time period, the Western Regional Climate Center calculated that 11.87 inches of rain and snow fell in California over the 2021 water year, the Los Angeles Times reports. This is well below the yearly average of roughly 23.58 inches.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Only two of California's major reservoirs are at or above their average storage level, and one of Los Angeles' major water sources, Lake Mead in Nevada, has been declining over the last two decades. A recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study found that because of warmer temperatures caused by climate change, precipitation and melted snowpack are evaporating faster than in previous years.
"We've already had this dry year, and we're in a drought situation, and then trends are that it potentially could be below the low rainfall season again this winter," Jayme Laber, a senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service, told the Times. "All those things add up to not looking good."
-
Endangered shark meat is being mislabeled and sold in the USUnder the radar It could cause both health and ecological problems
-
How clean-air efforts may have exacerbated global warmingUnder the Radar Air pollution artificially cooled the Earth, ‘masking’ extent of temperature increase
-
Earth's seasons are out of whackUnder the radar The seasons' unfixed nature in different regions of the planet may have impacted biodiversity and evolution
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquakespeed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
When does autumn begin?The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
How 'freakosystems' are becoming the normThe explainer Ecosystems are changing permanently
-
Cloudbursts: what are the 'rain bombs' hitting India and Pakistan?The Explainer The sudden and intense weather event is almost impossible to forecast and often leads to deadly flash-flooding and landslides
-
What do heatwaves mean for Scandinavia?Under the Radar A record-breaking run of sweltering days and tropical nights is changing the way people – and animals – live in typically cool Nordic countries
