January 20, 2015 - California
Between 2 and 5 inches of precipitation fell on a small part of northwesternmost California, but the bulk of the state was dry. Following some of the previous week’s deterioration in some areas, areas of dryness and drought changed little this week. Short-term deficits continued growing in the Sierra Nevada and adjacent Nevada, and intensely dry conditions persisted.
Looking Ahead
Above-normal temperatures will settle across a large area for the entire Intermountain West and West Coast. Daily high temperatures could average 9F to 12F above normal for most of California.
Conditions should be drier than normal for the ensuing 5 days (January 27 – 31, 2015) across the northern halves of the West Coast and Intermountain West.
Author(s):
Richard Tinker, NOAA/NWS/NCEP/CPC
Dryness Categories
D0 ... Abnormally Dry ... used for areas showing dryness but not yet in drought, or for areas recovering from drought.Drought Intensity Categories
D1 ... Moderate DroughtD2 ... Severe Drought
D3 ... Extreme Drought
D4 ... Exceptional Drought
Drought or Dryness Types
S ... Short-Term, typically <6 months (e.g. agricultural, grasslands)L ... Long-Term, typically >6 months (e.g. hydrology, ecology)
