CALIFORNIA – Despite Governor Jerry Brown declaring California’s five-year drought over last April, the year’s low rainfall, light snowpack, and warm temperatures have led to Southern California, along with a majority of the southwestern United States, to revert back to drought conditions.

According to a report by the United States Drought Monitor, over 54 percent of California is experiencing an abnormally dry year, leading the source to declare parts of Southern California in a moderate drought.

And while rainfall was fierce between October 2016 and March 2017, with rainfall averaging 30.75 inches–the second-highest rainfall total since 1895, which helped end the state’s five-year drought–the state has been dry as of late. The Los Angeles Basin in particular reportedly received less than 20 percent of the precipitation that’s normally expected this time of year.

“There are growing worries for [the] water supply picture, especially in California, but even over more of the Southwest,” said Meteorologist Jim Andrews, in a report from AccuWeather. “In Southern California, February is the wettest month of the year even though it is the shortest month. So, if the first two weeks are rain-free, you’ve already lost an eighth of the year’s rainfall. That is very worrisome for the region’s water supply and fire danger.”

According to the same AccuWeather report, a single year with below-average rainfall may be a “hiccup,” but this pattern could actually be a part of a larger problem that traces back to 2011.

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