Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency throughout California on Friday, Jan. 17. His announcement included a call for voluntary statewide reduction in water consumption. "It's important to awaken all Californians to the seriousness of the drought and the lack of rain," the governor said during a brief appearance in San Francisco. "… I am calling for a collaborative effort to restrain our water use." (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)
Many of California's lakes, including Folsom Lake shown here, are dry. There's very little snow in the Sierra, and the American River is running at a trickle of its usual strength. California needs rain. (Dan Brekke/KQED)
Cracked dry ground near Folsom Lake, east of Sacramento. (Dan Brekke/KQED)