CO2: 413.30 ppmGov. Gavin Newsom said it was critical for residents to step up their water-saving efforts as the state ends its second-driest year on record.
Experts have compared the past year to California's massive drought of 1977.
Water officials warned that the state's "climate is transitioning to a warmer setting."
Gov. Newsom declared a statewide drought emergency Tuesday, as officials announced that Californians reduced water use an average of 5% in August.
The average accumulation of rain and snowfall across the state totaled only 11.87 inches during the 2021 water year, which ran Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30.