California suffering through driest three years ever recorded, with no relief in sight for the average American
By Elizabeth Mendez
7 July 2017
During the three-year drought that has seen record high California temperatures, widespread water shortages and wildfires at a record pace, the average American family watched in horror as it seemed the sky would never open up again.
There was little relief as the summer heat, already intense in Southern California, kept soaring and temperatures climbed well into the seventies. The relentless heat and dry conditions have resulted in the driest three-year period since record keeping began in 1950, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The heat wave, which began on June 3, also saw a steep rise in wildfires with more than 6,000 acres scorched by the end of the week.
On Thursday, as more than 1,500 firefighters responded to more than 1,700 wildfires burning across the state, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency.
On Friday he called for the state’s residents to begin a weeklong effort to combat the wildfires. However, despite aggressive evacuations, he did not appear to be taking any drastic action to relieve the conditions of the people affected. Fire crews, he said, “still have work to do.” However, as the temperature continued to rise it became clear that the state was facing a much bigger problem than the fires themselves.
As the heat waves continued through the summer, the death toll from heat stroke climbed dramatically. The number of heat-related deaths in California passed the 5,000 mark for the first time this year, according to state health department data.
On Friday, the National Weather Service reported that the heat wave was the hottest, and driest year-long period during which it recorded no rain.
As temperatures continue to climb, firefighters are being called to respond to blazes in communities that are still without water after two weeks without rainfall.
The effects of the drought are being felt in many parts of the country. Cities across the Midwest are running out of water. The drought has forced the closure of about 100,000 state and municipal wells in the United States. While a majority of the water is being drawn from the underground aquifer, there are also fears that the underground aquifer beneath the western United States will be completely dried up in the next several years.
The prolonged and intense heat wave has also seen a