Recent Storms Relieve Pain, But CA Drought Set to Continue

California is in the midst of a historic, multi-year long drought. As we’ve chronicled here at CAPS, our state is currently in the driest three year period in its recorded history.

On top of that, a recent report revealed the effects of climate change in California and how rising temperatures are causing multiple environmental issues.

Recently there’s been some decent news for Californians. Recent rain and snowstorms have brought much needed precipitation into the state.

ABC 7 had this to say in their report on the recent storms:

“Snowpack across California, as of Wednesday, is running more than twice the normal amount and trending near record levels for December, especially in the northern part of the state. But experts say they are ‘cautiously optimistic’ about what this means for the coming months.”

While this brought much needed relief, California’s drought is far from over. Jan Null, a meteorologist at Golden Gate Weather Services, told the SF Gate that despite the recent rain/snow, over the long run we’re still way below where we should be.

“When we look at what the deficit is over the last three and a half years, we’re down over an entire season of rainfall.“

As Cal Matters pointed out, the same thing happened last December and there were still severe drought conditions in 2022. Even with this amount of rain and snow, California’s water agencies are still predicting water shortage issues.

“Nearly one out of every five water agencies — 76 out of 414 — in a recent state survey predict that they won’t have enough water to meet demand next year. That means they are likely to impose more severe restrictions on customers, with some Southern California providers considering a ban on all outdoor watering.”

This is the sad, sisyphean reality that California currently faces. It’s one step forward, and two steps back every single time. 

Of course, all of this is exacerbated by the state’s problem with overpopulation. We’re beyond our limit for what our natural resources can sustain, and there’s no end in sight. 

Our state needs an environmental miracle just to get back to equilibrium. Regardless of how much precipitation we receive, we’re going to be in a drought for several more years until we get serious about our overpopulation issue.