Los Angeles: The latest data released by the US Drought Monitor showed that California has greatly alleviated drought conditions with no D3 (Extreme Drought) or D4 (Exceptional Drought) regions on the map.
Compared to last week’s map, much of the state along the Pacific coast, including most of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, was deemed “abnormally dry.” or D2 level, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Parts of Los Angeles, Riverside and Imperial counties had also emerged from drought conditions in recent weeks, with Humboldt and Del Norte counties in Northern California looking especially good, the US Drought Monitor said. USA
Just a month ago, more than a third of the most populous US state was in extreme or exceptional drought.
However, the vast improvement in dry conditions along the California coast brought new challenges to the state, which had seen more than 600 mudslides since the start of the year.
A series of winter storms from late December to early January triggered flooding and mudslides, especially in the mountainous regions along Highway 1, where wildfires have left dozens of burn scars in recent years. .
Highway 1 remains closed in parts of Big Sur as crews work to repair damage from three major mudslides three weeks ago. On Wednesday, local authorities said parts of the Big Sur community face long-term isolation due to the highway closure.
“Residents, property owners and tourists ‘should not’ attempt to drive through landslide areas on and around State Route 1 in Big Sur. It is very unsafe, the ground is unstable and the threat of potential loss of life is real,” a statement read.
In the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range found in California and stretching 400 miles from north to south, the water content of snowpack in the north is 220 percent of normal as of Thursday, while in the Sierra Sur, it is 260 percent of normal to date.
Snowpack supplies about one-third of California’s water when it melts and runs off into rivers and reservoirs.
Some reservoirs experienced significant increases in water levels, but there are still significant deficits to overcome. The largest reservoir in the state, Lake Shasta, the water level Thursday is 300.31 meters (985.29 feet), nearly 30.48 meters (100 feet) higher than last October, but still 24 .91 meters (81.71 feet) below the pool filled with water. 1,067.00 (325.22 meters).
–IANOS
