(Bloomberg) -- Drought has gripped every inch of California for 30 straight weeks, or more than half a year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Abnormally dry conditions began to afflict parts of the Golden State as far back as February 2020 and by May of this year had enveloped every corner of California. That's strained water resources and added to ongoing wildfire risks. So far this year, more than 8,000 fires have charred almost 3.1 million acres across California, exceeding the five-year average.
Across 11 western states, nearly 94% of the land is in drought conditions, an increase from close to 93% last week, according to the monitor produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska.
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