Satellite images show a greener California but a shrinking snowpack
Recent satellite images revealed a much greener California following a series of December storms that brought much-needed rain to the parched state.
California was visibly greener in images taken Jan. 31 from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite system when compared to images a year ago. A photograph from Feb. 1, 2014, revealed a brown, arid landscape.
And while the latest images show some improvement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says California remains under extreme drought.
The lack of rain along with warmer-than-normal temperature has resulted in a shrinking snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to NOAA.
The same images show a dwindling snowpack in 2015 compared with photographs taken in 2014, when the snowpack appeared larger.
According to the latest U.S. drought report released Jan. 29, the entire state is affected by drought. Nearly 40% of the state remains under exceptional drought, the most extreme drought condition.
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