Dec. 27, 2013, LA Nears Its Record for Driest Year: With no significant moisture in the forecast and just days until New Year's Eve, it appears this year will go down in the books as the driest ever on record in Los Angeles. Full Story
Jan. 2, 2014, State Water Crisis Prompts Task Force: A special task force charged with dealing with the water crisis facing California met in Sacramento on Friday. The recent shortage threatens to affect everything from food prices to restrictions on water usage. Full Story
Jan. 3, CA Snowpack at Record Low: The first Sierra snow survey of the winter on Friday confirmed the fears of state water managers, who are warning of drought conditions in the coming year unless the state receives significantly more rain. Full Story
Jan. 7, Growers, Water Districts Call on Governor to Declare Drought Emergency: As California moves deeper into its third year of drought, growers and representatives of local water districts called on Gov. Jerry Brown to proclaim a drought emergency. Full Story
Jan. 17, Gov. Brown Declares CA Drought Emergency: Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency Friday for California after weeks of intensifying pressure from lawmakers to take action as the state's water reservoir levels remain strained with no rain in the forecast. Full Story
Jan. 29, Napa Valley Winemakers Prepare for Drought: With California in the grips of severe drought, Napa Valley wine grape growers on Tuesday said some vines are ripening early and that farmers are planning fewer crops to save water. Full Story
Jan. 30, Sierra Snowpack is 12 Percent of Historic Average: After long bouts of mostly powderless days, it's finally snowing in Tahoe. White powder blanketed the area early Thursday, leaving trees and benches covered in snow. Full Story
Feb. 14, President Announces CA Drought Response: President Barack Obama visited California Friday to discuss the federal response to California's drought problem. Full Story
Feb. 22, Drought Raises Food Prices: The California drought has raised food prices at the grocery stores and they may get even higher if it continues. Full Story
Feb. 27, Long Beach OKs Toughest Water Restrictions in SoCal: Some of the toughest water restrictions in Southern California were approved Thursday, after a splash of rain from a quick-moving storm and a heavier system in the forecast inspired muted celebration in the drought-stricken region. Full Story
Feb. 27, CA Lawmakers Pass $687M Drought-Relief Plan: A $687 million drought-relief plan is headed to the governor's desk after winning overwhelming approval in both houses of the Legislature. Full Story
California
News from across California
March 1, Storm Not Expected to Help Long-Term Drought Problems: A storm system that has provided Southern California with much needed rain over the last few days will help state drought conditions in the short term, but weather officials aren’t convinced it will have lasting effects. Full Story
March 20, CA Drought: Storms' Benefits "Rapidly Diminished": Nearly a month of warm and dry weather "rapidly diminished" the benefits of late-winter storms that swept through California as extreme drought returned to areas that saw slight improvement after a few days of precipitation, according to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor. Full Story
April 1, Cal Fire at Peak Staffing: Cal Fire officials have moved to peak staffing as extreme drought conditions continue to cripple California and wildfire activity remains high. Full Story
April 26, Calif. Gov. Issues Second Executive Order to Fight Drought: Gov. Jerry Brown issued a second executive order on Friday to deal with California's drought, taking additional steps to help fight wildfires and assist cities and farmers. Full Story
May 14, Dam Water Will Be Tapped for First Time in Decades Amid California Drought: Water stored behind a dam north of Fresno will be tapped for the first time in decades as California and federal water officials looks for ways to alleviate the effects of a third-consecutive dry year with no relief in sight. Full Story
May 22, All of CA Remains in "Severe" Drought or Worse: The entire state of California faces "severe" drought conditions or worse as the West enters its dry season, according to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Full Story
May 28, CA Drought Forces Communities to Tap Ground Water: California's severe drought is forcing some water districts to pump ground water in order to serve its communities. Full Story
June 27, Extreme Wildfires Threaten Rolling Blackouts Across State: Tinderbox conditions exacerbated by a historic California drought could put power lines across the state at risk of failing this summer, officials said. Full Story
