Drought — Northern San Joaquin Valley, California

2022-12-01 to 2022-12-31 · Northern San Joaquin Valley, California

Event narrative

For the month of December, the U.S. Drought Monitor kept the eastern portion of Zone 19 in extreme drought (D3) with the remainder of the zone in severe drought (D2). Drought conditions could improve with above normal precipitation in the month continuing.

Wider weather episode

Interior Northern California is still experiencing widespread drought. For the month of December, 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 for 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 1066894. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.