California No Rain January - For the first time in 165 years, downtown San Francisco has not recorded any rainfall for the entire month of January - a usually wet month in the region.
January 1983 holds the record for the driest month in the state when precipitation reached 0.33 of an inch (0.84 cm). This January's absence of rain is an indication that California is heading for a fourth straight year of drought.
According to reports from the National Weather Service, since authorities started keeping weather records of the region, the average rainfall the month of January has been 4.5 inches.
Authorities also say that the city of Santa Cruz has not recorded any rainfall in the entire month of January 2015.
Reports from the U.S. Drought Monitor indicate that nearly 78 percent of the state of California is experiencing immoderate drought. This extreme weather condition spread for the first time in 15 years throughout the entire state in April last year.
The negative effects of the prolonged drought are already being felt as jobs and crops are getting dried out. The drought signals some of the economic and environmental challenges faced by the most populous state in the U.S.
According to reports, last year, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought state of emergency. As a result, officials have been directed to take all necessary steps to ensure that the state is prepared for unprecedented water shortages. Residents have been cautioned against wasting water - and to abstain from watering their lawns.
