Turns out that all the miserable weather we've endured lately isn't miserable enough. Despite an abundance of snowfall in the state, there still is not enough water in the frozen Sierra Nevada range to ease drought conditions. Up to 60% of California's water is contained in the Sierra snow. "What we're finding this year is really pretty close to last year," said Frank Gehrke, chief of snow surveys for the California Department of Water Resources. And the water content of the snow was only 85% of normal. Somebody, please, rain on my parade! (Amy Crocker) more ›

In addition to the jarring unemployment rate announced today, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will "declare a state of emergency after three years of below-average rain and snowfall in California," according to reports. Although the recent rain has been refreshing, it has not helped moisten, if you will, more parched parts of the state. CBS 5 reports that "[t]he drought has forced farmers to fallow their fields, put thousands of agricultural workers out of work and prompted conservation measures in cities throughout the state." Arnold's order of emergency will "direct state agencies to provide assistance for affected communities and businesses." Chin up, California. more ›

According to reports, "California teeters on the edge of the worst drought in the state's history." Which is nothing new those those of you born and raised in California. It seems we're always in the middle of the Worst Drought Ever. But this year the warnings are particularly ominous. Take, for example, January's rainfall, which was a delicate sprinkle here and there punctuated by summertime-like weather. What's worse, the "Sierra Nevada snowpack - the backbone of the state's water supply - is only 61 percent of normal. " And you know what this means -- water rationing. In Sonoma County, "water managers are expected to take a bold step Monday - telling residents to prepare for severe rationing within weeks." And there are good tips for conserving water. Some ideas we can get behind (watering plants less often, fixing leaks), some we simply cannot (turning off the water in between lathering and rinsing in the shower). Know any good water rationing tips? Let us know in the comments. more ›

Hmm, looks like there's been some sort of drought going on in California. In what's being called "the worst crisis in decades," the California Department of Water Resource plans on cutting the amount of water it distributes to water districts by 85 to 90 percent. While this wouldn't affect San Francisco since we do not receive state water -- we suck on the Hetch Hetchy teet, where water travels via Yosemite to the San Francisco Bay Area -- it would affect the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the Tri Valley/Zone 7 Water District, and the Alameda County Water District. About 29 state agencies will see major cutbacks beginning January 1, 2009. (CBS 5)
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