Photo from space re: California Drought:
These two photos compare the lush snow pack from last year with the Big Nothing of snow on the California mountains and foothills this year:
http://knowmore.washingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/you-can-see-californias-drought-from-space/
= new reply since forum marked as read
they haven't seen rain for months ... everything is very dry ... one spark and the whole area will disintegrate 
We live in an incorporated area of Sac and there are a lot of houses between us and the dry grassy areas.
I agree with you, I feel ill to just think about it. I never wanted rain as badly ...
That should be covered with the white stuff. It is Sta Ysabel, this time of year that should be in white stuff.
A not so good picture (I used the phone, instead of the camera) from Ramona, which usually is green this time of the year.
Nope, not looking forwards to the official fire season, at all.
And we got some water right now, measurable yes.. enough to dirty your windshield.
- K&R
Are the business park lawns still getting watered? That's a major bone of contention with me, living in Colorado. Acres & acres of business park lawn that gets watered, usually during the business day (!), often times, the sprinkler heads shooting water into the street or on the sidewalk instead of the lawn. Some places are so poorly maintained you can see the lawn starting to turn brown where the sprinkler head is not pointing in the right direction.
Ok, off my soapbox now. No, wait! Let's talk about all the residential lawn that hardly anyone ever uses. I live in a cul-de-sac of six & I think only two neighbors ever use their front yard, but we all water & mow them.
I have a climate denier in my family who spouted the ignorant "Well if there's global warming why is it so cold?" a few weeks ago. I told him to Google Australia. Maybe I'll send him this link, too, for all the good it will do. I don't know how you reach people like this. He is willfully ignorant. He does not like smart people.
America has had a life of so much excess & ease for so long now, cutting back is going to be like pulling teeth. I certainly don't see people in my area cutting back. The line at McDonalds backs out into the street & it has two drive through lanes. The traffic to Walmart is non-stop & it's not old beaters filling the parking lot, but mostly very nice cars & SUVs. I realize I live in an affluent area, but I think a lot of people are living large & doing it paycheck to paycheck. I don't see a very bright future. I've always been a glass half empty type, though. 
