SACRAMENTO, Calif — The calendar year 2020 was California's third driest, with records going back to 1895.
Just take a look at the following graphic, Statewide Precipitation Ranks, ranks 2020 along with all other years dating back to 1895. It shows California receiving its 3rd driest year on record. The graphic also characterizes the state's yearly precipitation for 2020 as "Much Below Average."
The Drought Monitor Index shows the drastic difference between the first week of January 2020 vs. January 2021.
People might remember it was a lot wetter at this time last year. 2019 was a year with plenty of rainfall and it set the state up for a wonderful start to 2020.
The graphic below shows the drought conditions for the state of California for the first week of 2020. The state was no longer in drought conditions.
The lone exception was the far northern portion of the state with D0 Abnormally dry conditions.
Now, take a look at what a difference a year makes. Considering how little rainfall we picked up during the year 2020, the beginning of January 2021 shows dire drought conditions for much of the state.
As of January 5, 2021, Northern California is currently experiencing Severe to Extreme Drought conditions.
Long-range weather models continue to show the opportunity for rainfall will continue to elude the state for much of next week.
The latest 10 DAY FORECAST shows dry weather and mild temperatures are expected to dominate the weather through the upcoming weekend.
Unfortunately, this will only worsen the drought conditions throughout the state.