June 21

6/21 - Last week’s NOAA drought monitor showed 26% of the western U.S. is now at the highest “exceptional drought” level. The first danger is power generation. Hydroelectric power capacity has already been reduced with the heart of the summer still ahead of us. Without some recovery, rolling blackouts are likely in California by August. Secondly, CA suffered 8,200 wildfires in 2020, double the previous record. Already this year, CA has seen a 26% increase in wildfire activity and a 58% increase in acres burned. Then there is agriculture. State regulators have already warned farmers that water will be scarce this summer for crops and livestock. Wells are running dry and river access is being restricted. This link from AgWeb shows the drought’s progression over the past year: https://cdn.farmjournal.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/2020-2021-Drought-Map.gif