Stark reality of California drought from space

Go to ESA’s website to compare the two images in an interactive tool.

On June 21, 2021, the European Space Agency (ESA) reported on the ongoing drought in the U.S. West, saying:

…vast swathes of western U.S. are experiencing extremely dry conditions, the likes of which haven’t been seen there since 1977.

The two images were captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission. The image above is from June 12, 2021, and the image below from June 22, 2020. The difference is clear to see, not only is the Angeles National Forest brown and at high risk of fire compared to the lush green of last year, but the water in the reservoirs is severely depleted.

In fact, the reservoirs are about 50% lower than they should be at this time of the year, and the San Gabriel reservoir is almost dry. California is reported to have recorded its driest February in 150 years and 95% of the state is now a victim of ‘severe drought’, which, unfortunately, can only be bad news for the rest of the summer.

Bottom line: Two images showing a contrast between a California national forest in 2021 versus 2020.