WeatherFanatics: Drought Emergency Declared in California

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Drought Emergency Declared in California

By Kristen Rodman, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

January 18,2014; 8:45PM,EST

With no rain in sight for Southern California, drought conditions are escalating to a dire state.
"It is going to stay dry for the foreseeable future with no rain over the next 10 days," AccuWeather.com Western Weather Expert Ken Clark said.
On Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, California Gov. Jerry Brown formally announced a drought emergency, saying that the state may be in the midst of perhaps its worst dry spell in a century.

The Colby Fire as seen from space. (Photo/NASA)
The fire danger grew at the beginning of the week, as Santa Ana winds swept the region.
In the Angeles National Forest near Glendora, mandatory evacuations have been issued as high winds whip the Colby Fire through the dry terrain, according to InciWeb.
The Colby Fire has thus far burned more than 1,860 acres and was 30 percent contained Saturday evening.
On Tuesday, the Soda Fire was discovered in the Sequoia National Forest, 20 miles from Springfield, Calif. The terrain difficulty for containing the fire is considered high, while the chance of further fire growth is rated medium.
More than 310 acres have burned so far.
The fire on Mission Boulevard injured at least one firefighter and forced authorities to issue mandatory evacuation orders. Students at one elementary school were moved to another building as a result of the blaze.

Smoke from the Colby Fire billows into Los Angeles. (Photo/Reed Saxon)
Also on Tuesday, firefighters fought a blaze in Riverside County that spread due to the gusty winds in the area. The flames destroyed houses, vehicles and sheds, The Associated Press reported.
2013 went down in the record books as the driest calendar year on record for Los Angeles, and next week will bring no relief from the area's severe drought conditions.

Despite being in the rainy season, the region has been exceedingly dry for a prolonged period of time and conditions are only continuing to worsen.
"Southern California needs rain and it needs rain badly," Clark said.
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Clark anticipates that the situation could have serious economic implications if it continues.
A high wildfire danger is expected to continue in the Los Angeles area.
Content contributed by AccuWeather.com Staff Writer Samantha-Rae Tuthill

California Gov. Jerry Brown points to images showing the snow depth in the Sierra mountains on Jan. 13, 2013, left, and Jan. 13, 2014, center, while declaring a drought state of emergency in San Francisco, Friday, Jan. 17, 2014. With a record-dry year, reservoir levels under strain and no rain in the forecast, California Gov. Jerry Brown formally proclaimed the state in a drought Friday, confirming what many already knew. Brown made the announcement in San Francisco amid increasing pressure in recent weeks from the state's lawmakers, including Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

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