Excessive drought expanded into components of Los Angeles County as a dry begin to the moist season continues in fire-prone Southern California, in line with this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor report.
Excessive drought, the second-most extreme class within the weekly report, was restricted to excessive southeast California final week, however components of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties are underneath the class within the report launched Thursday.
The California Drought Monitor map launched Jan. 23, 2025.
About 11 p.c of California is in excessive drought. Thirty-three p.c of the state, together with northern Los Angeles County, is in extreme drought.
At the moment final yr, no a part of California was in excessive, extreme and even average drought. About 39 p.c of the state is in average drought with 67 p.c thought-about abnormally dry. A big swath of Northern California, the place storms have delivered rain and snow, doesn’t fall underneath a drought class this week.
The report displays a dry begin to the moist season in Southern California.
“This year has been a very slow start for our water year,” stated meteorologist Belen De Leon. “We are, right now, at the second-driest start to the water year.”
A pink flag warning has been prolonged by means of 10 a.m. on Friday as sturdy winds blow ash and dirt into the air. This video was broadcast on the NBC4 Information at 4 a.m. on Jan. 23, 2025.
After two seasons of above-average rainfall, a months-long dry spell left hillsides coated in dry brush, offering gasoline for wildfires fanned by highly effective Santa Ana winds.
The typical moist season rainfall at the moment of yr in downtown LA is about 14.25 inches. Within the 2022-2023 moist season, the area had 28.40 inches of rain adopted by 25.19 inches of rain in 2023-2024.
Thus far on this season, which extends from October to April, downtown LA has report 0.16 inches of rain.
Common rainfall for January, the second-wettest month of the yr, is near 4 inches. No rain has been recorded this month in downtown LA, however cooler temperatures and a slight probability for rain are within the weekend forecast.
“The abysmal start to the water year continues over much of southern California, southern Nevada and Utah, and into Arizona and New Mexico,” in line with the Drought Monitor report. “Most of the managed water systems are fine in the region after two consecutive wet winters, but the short-term drought indicators for the current water year are highlighting the significant short-term drought in the Southwest into southern California. Degradation to drought status continued this week with drought expanding and intensifying over much of southern California.”
