The intense drought in the Southwest contrasts sharply with the massive wind and water damage inflicted on Florida and other parts of the East Coast from Hurricane Ian
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Things aren’t about to get better for California, according to a report from CalMatters, which characterized forecasts of a hot and dry fall and warm winter with below-normal precipitation as a “recipe for drought.”
According to CalMatters, “Through August, no other three-year period in California history has been this dry — even during the last historic drought from 2012 through 2016. ” Heat is contributing to the problem, and if an unusual 3-in-a-row La Nina event occurs, California’s water problems will be exacerbated.
Over a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California, according to the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture.