this article is Republished from Conversation under one Creative Commons License,
Dry conditions in Southern California in early January 2025 set the stage for a series of deadly wind-driven wildfires that Thousands of homes and other structures burned In the Los Angeles area.
ming panA hydrologist at the University of California-San Diego Center for Western Weather and Water ExtremesMonitors the state's water supply. He put Southern California's aridity into perspective using charts and maps.
How dry is Southern California right now?
In early January, soil moisture remained high across much of Southern California In the bottom 2 percent of the historical record In the area for that day. This is extremely low.
Hydrologists in California take a closer look at the sky Starting in OctoberWhen California's water year begins.
The state receives little rainfall from May to September, so late autumn and winter are important for filling reservoirs and building snowpack to provide water. depends on california The Sierra snowpack provides about one-third of its freshwater supply.,
However, Southern California got off to a very dry start to the 2024–25 water year. The atmospheric river brought some rainfall to the region in November, but not much. After that, most atmospheric rivers Which hit the West Coast from October to January and moved north to Washington, Oregon and Northern California.
When the air is hot and dry, sweat And evaporation also takes water from plants and soil. This leaves dry vegetation that can provide fuel Flying embers to spread forest fireAs seen in the Los Angeles area in early January.
