Drought in Tulare Cty Foothills, California

The California drought continued in full force during the month of February, 2014. Extreme drought was detected by the U.S. Drought Monitor for much of the region, with exceptional drought detected along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. For California as a whole, 2013 was the driest year on record. As the 2013-2014 winter progresses, little rain has fallen across California.

There continues to be significant media coverage on the on-going drought conditions. These reports include discussion of significant re-allocation of water resources from the east to west side of the San Joaquin Valley, farmers forgoing planting of some crops, a decrease in the snow-related tourism activity in the Southern Sierra Nevada, reduction in air quality due to persistent stagnant air, loss or reduction of ground water, and an unprecedented increase in fire danger across the Southern Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains. For the first time on record, red flag warnings were issued in January for not only the Southern Sierra Nevada and the Tehachapi Mountains but also the south end of the San Joaquin Valley.