More of Bay Area moves into 'exceptional' drought as conditions worsen

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ByMike Nicco KGO logo
Thursday, July 29, 2021
More of Bay Area moves into 'exceptional' drought
More of Bay Area moves into 'exceptional' droughtThe "exceptional" drought range now covers all of Alameda County, parts of Santa Clara County, and all of the Central Valley.

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- For several weeks this summer our drought remained the same. That changed Thursday when the U.S. Drought Monitor released its newest date.

The second worse drought designation, "Extreme," increase from 86% of California to 89%.

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The highest and most severe drought level, "Exceptional", increased from 33% to 46% across the state. Areas in this designation suffer the worse drought conditions.

More Bay Area communities slipped into this "Exceptional" drought status.

These dangerous conditions spread and now cover all of Alameda County and parts of the Santa Clara Valley.

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The biggest change across California occurred in the Central Valley. The entire Central Valley now suffers the most extreme drought conditions.

Reservoir levels across the state continue to decline at an alarming rate. For decades evaporation and usage contributed the most to the water loss.

Now, because of our nearly year-round fire season, more and more water is utilized for fire suppressing and mitigation

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