California should expect a ‘fourth dry year’ as drought persists
California could break through its current drought in a “crisis” year if the severe weather continues, according to a new report by the state’s agriculture commissioner.
“An extreme drought might last more than three years or decades,” said John DeCicco, state’s agriculture commissioner, according to a report on his agency’s website published Thursday.
DeCicco’s predictions are made even more accurate when the weather goes cold, he said.
“If we’ve had an extreme drought in the last two years and the next two years are dry, the drought could last the rest of the year,” the California Department of Food and Agriculture commissioner said.
More than 200,000 acres of farmland are under water because of the drought, according to the state Department of Water Resources official.
State records and interviews with officials in Sacramento’s water offices and other state agencies show the drought is already the longest in California’s history.
Farmers say this drought is getting even harder to manage. “This year might be the toughest one,” said Steve Smith of the California Cattlemen’s Association, “because of the dry conditions and the fact this year’s winter wasn’t as bad as some years.”
“With the dry conditions, cattle are a lot less willing to pull out their calves and have them on ranches and in feedlots,” Smith said Thursday. “It’s really going to affect producers.”
DeCicco said the dryness is due to the La Nina phenomenon — a warming in the Pacific Ocean that affects weather from North America to south of Japan. For now, the La Nina pattern is being offset by strong Pacific winds, bringing rain and snow to the West Coast.
But “we still have a drought,” DeCicco said.
But as California’s water reserves continue to dry up and farmers continue to struggle to raise crops in dry years, there will