Weather

Santa Cruz County Is 'Abnormally Dry,' Officials Say

See how the county compares to the rest of the Golden State in a recently released drought monitor map.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Santa Cruz County is considered to be "abnormally dry," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday.

Areas looking to come out of the "abnormally dry" category tend to see lingering water deficits and pastures that have not fully recovered from the consequences of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

While "abnormally dry" sure doesn't sound like a good thing, Santa Cruz County is faring better than the majority of the Golden State when it comes to drought.

Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Most other areas are considered to be the next level up of the six-tiered drought measuring system, which is "moderate drought." Some parts of the North Bay and areas along the southern California-Nevada border are in the second-worst "extreme drought" category, while a sliver of the state is in the most dangerous "exceptional drought" category.

Updated Drought Monitor released today. Some light rain Friday night wont have much of an impact on this long term drought.
Posted by US National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey California on Thursday, March 4, 2021

Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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