Drought — Central Sacramento Valley, California

2022-10-01 to 2022-10-31 · Central Sacramento Valley, California

Event narrative

For the month of October, the U.S. Drought Monitor kept all of Zone 16 in extreme drought (D3). The zone saw drought impacts continue due to the below average precipitation for the water year. Drought impacts to the region include; little to no allocation of water from irrigation districts to agriculture, reduced rangeland forage without alternative forage, hay prices at record levels, cattle being sold, including calves that are typically sold in late Fall, increased fire danger, as well as increasing reports of dry wells. The local economy continues to be significantly impacted.

Wider weather episode

Interior northern California is still experiencing widespread drought. For the month of October, there were no changes made to drought severity levels in the region. Much of the region remains in severe to extreme drought with portions of the northern San Joaquin as high as exceptional drought. Many local and regional, as well as state-wide restrictions continue. Agricultural surface water deliveries continue to be significantly reduced. The state-wide drought declaration by Governor Gavin Newsom continues. Mandatory water restrictions are in place on outdoor water use for all Californians with possible fines to violators. Agriculture and most of the state's energy development are water-intensive industries and have less water for those purposes.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1060017. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.