California officially in a state of drought by Tomasz Schafernaker
After two years of below average rainfall, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared California in a state of official drought. It is the first official drought since 1991 when a state of emergency was declared after five years of below average rainfall.
California is prone to drought due to the pattern of air circulating above the state. The area lies under the Hadley cell, which is a circulation pattern that dominates the tropical atmosphere. This circulation is directly related to the trade winds, rain belts and subtropical deserts. The location of California underneath the descending part of the air results in a high pressure area, which creates a set of dry, settled conditions.
The state depends on its winter snow accumulation in the Sierra Nevada for much of its supply of water. However March, April and May have been the driest winter months on record this year. Californians are being made aware of how serious the water crisis has become, and are now being forced to mandate water conservation or rationing.
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