Long term drought impacts continued through the month of July, although some of the largest of the reservoirs in northern interior California were around normal levels. While there was a better snow pack for the mountains over the wet season, very warm weather caused the snow to melt and run off quickly in the spring.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS STO wrote it up.
Long term drought impacts continued through the month of July, although some of the largest of the reservoirs in northern interior California were around normal levels. While there was a better snow pack for the mountains over the wet season, very warm weather caused the snow to melt and run off quickly in the spring. This caused peak reservoir levels to occur earlier than expected. By the end of July, all but Lake Shasta and Don Pedro were dropping off faster than normal. Lake Shasta was 110% of normal by the end of the month, Lake Oroville was 90%, Folsom Lake was 70%, and Don Pedro was 94%. New Melones continued to lag behind the other significant area reservoirs and was only 40% of normal.
The U.S. Drought Monitor showed no change from June for the area, with severe drought across the southern Sacramento Valley; the northern and central Sacramento Valley and the northern Sierra in moderate drought, while Shasta County was abnormally dry. The remainder of the Central and northern portion of the Southern Sierra Nevada mountain areas remained in the severe to extreme drought. There remained extreme drought in the Sierra south of Highway 50.
Groundwater aquifers continued to recharge much more slowly than the surface reservoirs, with many in the Central Valley still falling toward record levels. Growers in the San Joaquin Valley continued to turn to groundwater with reduced surface water allocations. This heavy reliance on groundwater resulted in declining water levels.
Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency for the entire state of California January 17, 2014 and this continued to be in effect. Governor Brown issued an executive order on May 9, 2016 that built on temporary statewide emergency water restrictions to establish longer-term water conservation measures, including permanent monthly water use reporting, new permanent water use standards in California communities and banned clearly wasteful practices such as hosing off sidewalks, driveways and other hardscapes.
Local Emergency proclamations remained for Colusa, Calaveras, El Dorado, Glenn, Plumas, San Joaquin, Shasta, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne, and Yuba counties. The cities of Live Oak (Sutter County), Lodi (San Joaquin County), Manteca (San Joaquin County), Portola (Plumas County), Ripon (San Joaquin County), and West Sacramento (Yolo County). Drought task forces remain in Lake, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tuolumne, and Yolo counties to coordinate response to the drought.
Mandatory water reductions of 25% as ordered by Governor Brown were suspended in May due to the improved reservoir levels, with voluntary reductions requested. Water conservation was reported as about the same as the 21.5% savings for the month of June 2016, although it was down from 31% in July 2015.
The state continued to supply food assistance to those impacted by the drought, along with California Disaster Assistance Act money for those who have lost drinking water due to dry wells. Nonprofit organizations in the San Joaquin Valley struggled to meet the needs of their clients for drought-related programs.
Tree mortality from drought and resulting bark beetle infestation continued to increase both in scale and intensity, especially in low elevation pine and oak woodlands along the Sierra Nevada Range. A US Forest Service- Forest Health Protection aerial survey showed tree mortality was especially high in the Stanislaus National Forest southward, though pockets of tree mortality were present as far north as eastern Shasta County. Tree mortality from the recent years of drought has been estimated at 66 million trees across California. This increase in dead and dying trees made the forest more susceptible to wildfires.
Drought conditions are blamed for an increase in blue-green algae across Northern California lakes. These algae can produce cyanotoxins, which in high enough concentrations can potentially cause allergic reactions, skin irritation, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, joint pain, liver damage and even cancer in people and pets swimming in the water.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 30, 9:20 PM PST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 1020 PM PDT THU JUN 30 2016 .SYNOPSIS... Hot and mainly dry this week. A slight cooling trend starting this weekend and continuing through the week. Isolated late day thunderstorms possible over the Sierra Friday and Saturday. && .DISCUSSION... Weaker Delta Breeze and shallower marine layer (1200 ft tonite compared to 1800 ft last nite) than last night suggests a milder nite over Norcal than last nite...if not rather warm over the thermal belt areas...Nrn Sac Vly and foothills on the lee-side of the Coastal Range. Have updated the min temps tonite to show this trend of warmer overnite lows at most of our forecast locations. The shallower marine layer could be conducive for a warmer day on Fri than the current forecasts indicate especially in the Delta influenced areas. We will take a closer look at this for the morning package. The 01/00z BC grids are coming in with mainly upper 90s for the immediate Delta influenced areas for maxes on Fri. This may be the result of slight synoptic cooling from the slight lowering of 5H heights from the sagging baggy coastal trof. Friday highs are expected to be 5-10 degrees above normal. Cooling trend begins Saturday into early next week, as an upper trough along the Pacific Northwest moves inland. Temperatures will remain near to slightly above normal during this period. Expect Valley highs in the low to mid 90s, but the northern Valley should remain in the upper 90s. Model guidance suggests some monsoonal moisture moving northward on Friday. Thus, there is a slight chance of late afternoon thunderstorms Friday and Saturday over the Sierra. Otherwise, expect dry conditions for the rest of interior northern California. && .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Monday THROUGH Thursday) A weak upper trough will persist over the Pacific Northwest into extreme NorCal next week, resulting in dry weather and near normal temperatures. Onshore, southwest winds may be breezy over higher terrain with a standard Delta Breeze. Expect high temperatures in the 90s across the Valley, with 70s and 80s over the mountains. JClapp && .AVIATION... VFR conditions the next 24 hours. Light W-SW flight level 10K MSL winds with gusty terrain-driven surface winds over mountains while the Delta Breeze will increase again this afternoon and evening. JClapp && .STO Watches/Warnings/Advisories... None. &&
2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System indicated there were some homes without well water due to dry wells. Calaveras County had 1 household and Tuolumne County had 240 households, unchanged from June.
The Household Water Supply Shortage Reporting System indicated there were some homes without well water due to dry wells. There were 228 in Stanislaus County, 10 in San Joaquin County, unchanged since June. Many communities in the Northern San Joaquin Valley were still receiving food assistance as a direct result of the drought.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in California, July 2016
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 650497, 650498.