Drought — Carquinez Strait and Delta, California

2021-06-01 to 2021-06-30 · Carquinez Strait and Delta, California

Event narrative

For the month of June, the U.S. Drought Monitor kept all of zone 18 in exceptional drought (D4). They continue to mention that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. A giant rock wall started constructed across a river in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta on June 3rd to protect a vital freshwater estuary from saltwater as rivers became too low to push the brackish waters from the bay. The rock barrier was built in the same place as it was in 2015 on the West False River to keep saltwater away from pumping stations. This will protect a water source for nearly 30 million Californians. Construction completed on June 22nd. The barrier will be removed before Nov. 30. Construction and removal of the Barrier was funded by DWR at roughly $37 million. Farmers north and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta will continue to receive no water from the Central Valley Project. All of zone 18 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. The Delta cross channel gates remain closed.

Wider weather episode

Northern California typically experiences a wet season, October through May, and a dry season May through September. Last year's water year, October 2019 through September 2020, was one of the driest on records. This likely contributed to the U.S. Drought Monitor's decision to place portions of interior northern California into extreme drought on September 29, 2020. Portions of Shasta, Tehama, Butte, Glenn, Colusa, Yolo, Solano, Yuba, Nevada, and Sacramento counties remain in extreme drought. The rest of interior northern California was placed into severe drought (D2) on December 8; however, the state of California has not announced that these locations are in drought. On 4/21/2021 the Biden-Harris administration announced the formation of an Interagency Working Group to address worsening drought conditions in the West. On 5/10/2021 Governor Gavin Newsom significantly expanded his April 21 drought emergency proclamation to include Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties where accelerated action is needed to protect public health, safety and the environment. In total, 41 counties are now under a drought state of emergency, representing 30 percent of the state's population. By late June more wildlife was observed in urban interfaces than normal, notably bears and rattlesnakes, in search of wetter, cooler conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 970212. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.