Weather Insider: Tracking the latest drought conditions
California, especially Southern California is no stranger to drought. The last winter seasons brought a cascade of winter storms and precipitation to the Southern California region, but the same cannot be said for this winter. It's late January and we just had our first winter storm of the season.
2024 was a very dry year for the Coachella Valley. The Palms Springs International Airport only recorded 2.70 inches of rain. That's 1.91 inches fewer than the average of 4.61 inches of rain. That's just 58.6% of average (or 41.4% less than average).
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Prior to the precipitation we received with this latest system, the last time Palm Springs recorded any measurable precipitation was on September 20th. Due to the prolonged lack of rainfall over the course of several months, we are officially now in an extreme drought, along with much of the region. Areas (across Southern California) not in extreme drought are experiencing severe drought. As of the latest update, more than 22 million Californias are experiencing drought conditions. Of course, that includes all of Riverside County which is experiencing its driest winter on record.
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The graphic below shows the season drought outlook from the Climate Prediction Center. They are forecasting a persistence of drought conditions across Southern California well into the spring season. Your First Alert Weather Team will continue to actively monitor drought conditions across the region in the coming months, so stay tuned for the latest updates.
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