From the half-million acres of parched and idle
farmland to the swaths of receding reservoirs, the signs of California's
historic drought are obvious.
Less obvious is just how historic the ongoing
drought actually is when compared with previous dry spells in the Golden
State's history.
A CNBC analysis of annual Palmer Drought
Severity Index recordings, founded by meteorologist Wayne Palmer as a
way to factor in both precipitation and temperature to track soil
moisture, shows the nearly four-year drought is in fact the worst in
over a century. The PDSI is used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as its main drought index.
Click on the graph to increase its size.
A PDSI recording of 0 reflects normal conditions, while -1 is considered
to be the official drought threshold. Any recording of -4 and below
signifies extreme drought.
Full article and accompanying video available here: California Drought
Source: NBC News
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