Thursday July 7, 2022
The Mercury News —
California’s water issues may be complicated. But the rainfall shortage driving the state’s current drought comes down to basic math.
“In most places we are missing an entire year of rain over the past three years,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services in Half Moon Bay. “It’s like if you worked three years but only got paid for two. You are going to be hurting.”
Over the three-year period that ended June 30, most Northern California cities received only about half to two-thirds of their historical average rainfall, according to data that Null compiled. And each passing year without soaking winter rains has been steadily drying the state out a little more — further dropping reservoirs, parching soils and forests and depleting groundwater.
July 1 to June 30 is traditionally the period that California measures its rainfall season, because nearly all the rain and snow falls in the winter months. As the state’s long, hot summer looms, hopeful eyes are already turning to November and December.