Last updated October 15, 2021
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California Drought 2011 - 2017

California

Persistent hot and dry weather led to years of acute drought in California from 2011 through 2017, an event worsened by climate change. The fingerprint of climate change is seen in rising temperatures and changing atmospheric patterns conducive to diminishing rains. The first link is firmly established, and there is a considerable and growing body of evidence supporting the second. Weather records tend to be broken when both natural and human-driven trends run in the same direction, in this case towards warmer temperatures that are increasing California drought risk.

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In this Feb. 4 2014 file photo, a warning buoy sits on the dry, cracked bed of Lake Mendocino near Ukiah, California. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Global Warming
Land Surface Temperature Increase
Air Mass Temperature Increase
Large Scale Global Circulation Change
Snowpack Melting Earlier and/or Faster
Precipitation Falls as Rain Instead of Snow
Atmospheric Blocking Increase
Snowpack Decline
Southwestern US Precipitation Decrease
Drought Risk Increase
California Drought 2011 - 2017