California Drought Map

About California Drought Map

Explore California map showing drough regions of state of California.

California Drought Regions & Vulnerability Overview

Region / Basin	Hydrologic Region	Primary Counties	Historical Drought Impact (2012–2016)	Groundwater Overdraft Risk	Current Status (Feb 2026)	Average Annual Precipitation (in)	Key Water Sources	Major Vulnerabilities	Notable Events / Features
San Joaquin Valley	San Joaquin River Basin	Fresno, Kern, Tulare, Kings, Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Madera	Severe–Exceptional; massive groundwater depletion; land subsidence up to 2 ft	Very High (Critical overdraft basins)	No drought / Abnormally dry pockets	10–15	State Water Project, Central Valley Project, groundwater	Groundwater depletion, subsidence, fallowed land, well failures	2012–2016 epicenter; SGMA critically overdrafted basins
Sacramento Valley	Sacramento River Basin	Sacramento, Yolo, Sutter, Butte, Glenn, Colusa, Tehama, Shasta	Moderate–Severe; less severe than south	Moderate–High in sub-basins	No drought	20–40	Sacramento River, Delta exports, groundwater	Variable surface water, flood risk in wet years	Northern rice & nut production; wetter climate
South Coast	South Coast Hydrologic Region	Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Diego (coastal)	Severe–Extreme; heavy urban conservation	Moderate (coastal aquifers)	No drought	10–20	Colorado River, State Water Project, local groundwater, desalination	Urban demand, imported water dependency, wildfire risk	Metropolitan Water District service area
Southeast Desert	Colorado River Basin & South Coast extensions	Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial	Extreme–Exceptional; agriculture severely impacted	High in some basins	No drought	2–6	Colorado River (Imperial Irrigation District), groundwater	Extreme aridity, Colorado River cutbacks, Salton Sea issues	Imperial Valley agriculture; below sea level areas
Central Coast	Central Coast Hydrologic Region	Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Benito	Severe–Extreme; groundwater overdraft	High (multiple critical basins)	No drought / Abnormally dry pockets	12–30	Local streams, groundwater, State Water Project imports	Groundwater depletion, saltwater intrusion, limited storage	Salinas Valley agriculture; Paso Robles basin overdraft
North Coast	North Coast Hydrologic Region	Humboldt, Mendocino, Del Norte, Trinity, Sonoma	Moderate–Severe; less severe overall	Low–Moderate	No drought	40–100+	Klamath, Eel, Russian rivers; local storage	Flooding in wet years, salmon habitat concerns	Wettest region; redwood forests
Sierra Nevada (Eastern)	Tulare Lake & East Side Sierra basins	Inyo, Mono, eastern Tulare, eastern Fresno	Severe–Exceptional; Owens Valley impacts	Moderate–High in Owens Valley	No drought	5–20 (valleys); 40+ (high elevations)	Owens River, Mono Lake tributaries, snowmelt	High elevation snow reliance, LADWP exports	Owens Valley water history; Mono Lake levels
Mojave Desert	Mojave Hydrologic Region	San Bernardino, eastern Kern, eastern Los Angeles	Extreme–Exceptional; very limited recharge	High in some basins	No drought	2–8	Local groundwater, Mojave River, imported water	Extreme aridity, slow recharge, urban growth pressure	Barstow, Victorville; military bases

California Drought Areas

Water and California have danced close, never quite sure who leads. A dry season looms large here, shaped by ocean on one side and towering peaks on the other, while farms stretch across the middle ground, thirsty at times. By early 2026, something quiet but deep shifted - the land seemed to pause after long years of scarcity. Data updated February 3 shows near-total relief across regions; nearly all parts now sit beyond threat. Just under one percent holds a hint of strain, labeled slightly dry, nothing worse reported anywhere. For the first time in two and a half decades, every part of the state shows signs of low moisture - either drought or worse - but recent rainfall following winter weather events helped fill storage sites and underground storage areas. That shift caught official attention when state leaders noted it early last year following intense precipitation that restored key hydrological markers.

Current Water Conditions and the Role of Recent Storms

Right now, major water basins in California hold between 126% and 130% of typical levels for this season, boosted by heavy rains late in 2025 and early 2026 - after three straight winters that were wetter than usual. According to the California Department of Water Resources, overall storage across the state sits around 27.7 million acre-feet. Places like Lake Oroville, Shasta Lake, and San Luis Reservoir are significantly higher than their normal marks at this time. Yet, look at the snow: it's less certain. Following a parched start to the year, removing most of what was gathered at first, snow across California holds about one-third to just under sixty percent of its typical April total, based on field reports and state data tracking. Up north, the mountains show especially weak readings - around forty-six percent at certain points - with areas farther south showing slightly improved numbers yet falling short overall. Known as a "snow drought," this condition does not currently threaten water flow from reservoirs since storage levels are high. Still, questions grow about how much will run off in spring or make it through dry months ahead, given little moisture left in the forecast.

Historically Drought-Prone Regions and Their Ongoing Vulnerabilities

Despite a year with little drought on the map, certain regions in California still face higher risks of drought. Not the coast, but inland areas like the Central Valley feel droughts more deeply. This fertile farmland relies heavily on water, yet supplies often vanish during long dry stretches. When the drought hit hardest between 2012 and 2016, wells began drawing down massive amounts - sometimes over thirty feet in single towns. Soil sank slowly into the ground, warping roads and breaking pipes. That sinking didn’t stop - it kept going, shrinking how much water the earth could hold forever. Right now, with storage spaces crowded and water pulled from rivers bettered, growers in Fresno, Kern, and Tulare counties find things less tense - still, plenty keep tabs on hidden underground check points; close to thirty percent sit too low - this fact coming from California Water Watch records. A stretch of intense aridity hit Southern California, especially areas like the South Coast and Southeast Desert basins, during October through January of 2026, standing out as one of the weakest such spans in decades - only lately did rainfall return to ease pressure. Folks living in Riverside, San Bernardino, along with Imperial counties remember too well how past dry spells led to limited water use, land left barren, and bigger fears about fires spreading - so they’re aware, should dryness come back strong, it might test how much water they get from the Colorado River, which now makes up about four out of every twenty gallons used across the area.

How Drought Affects Everyday Californians

Out here, drought isn’t some distant number on a page - it hits home, real people feeling real pain. Back during California’s 2020–2022 dry spell, plenty of country families in places like the Central Valley and foothills got water shipped in bottles since their underground sources had cracked empty. City dwellers in LA and around San Francisco had to cut usage sharply, saw costs climb fast, and noticed streets without green grass, parks without spray, schools without working water features. Farming hands once worked fewer hours after land lay idle under strict rules. Still, little growers fought rising expenses from digging deeper wells. Though things have gotten better now, life back then still guides choices today. Homes now put in water-saving devices, municipalities spend more on reused supply, and fieldworkers grow tough plants using trickle systems. What people lost during dry spells - paychecks gone, steeper bills at stores, emotional weight under endless doubt - keeps many root for smarter moves in saving water across the state.

Looking Ahead: Resilience, Adaptation, and the Next Dry Spell

Right now, rivers hold more than usual, yet experts in California remind everyone that steady supply can shift fast when weather swings wildly and storms grow stranger. Even though the state's main water agency has boosted share amounts for 2026 up to 30 percent of what was asked, before snow even fully melts, they keep eyes tight on what comes next - knowing too much certainty might cost them. Instead of waiting, towns now dig into soil ways to trap runoff, build bigger holding spots, turn salt from sea into drinkable, teach cities how little they actually need. All these moves, pushed harder lately through long-term planning plans, quietly build defenses for when dry seasons roll back around. Right now, many people across California feel relief after tough dry spells. Yet this calm does not mean safety - water here can vanish fast. When storms stay away too long, life gets shaky again. Still, smart choices, new ideas, and working together help keep things alive. Even if skies stay empty, balance and care let communities endure.