California's Historic Drought

The year 2013 was the driest in California's recorded history, and predictions for 2014 aren't much better. Three consecutive years of below-normal rainfall have left reservoirs at a fraction of their normal depth, seriously threatening farms in the state that grows half the nation's fruits and vegetables. California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a drought emergency and signed a $687 million drought-relief package into law, and 125 additional firefighters have been hired already in anticipation of a dangerous upcoming fire season. One bright spot: gold prospecting. Amateur prospectors are flocking to the Sierra Nevada foothills, taking advantage of lower water levels to search for gold in riverbeds that have been unreachable for decades.

Read more
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Most Recent

  • Lukas Walter / World Nature Photography Awards

    Winners of the 2024 World Nature Photography Awards

    Some of the top nature photography featured in this year’s competition

  • Raj K Raj / Hindustan Times / Getty

    Holi 2024: The Festival of Colors

    Images of this year’s colorful Holi festivals from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Kenya, and the U.S.

  • Idrees Mohammed / AFP / Getty

    Photos of the Week: Green River, Fire Ritual, Space Needle

    A massive ballet class in Mexico City, the Night of Ghosts festival in Greece, severe tornado damage in Indiana, a St. Patrick's Day parade in Tokyo, and much more

  • Mark Schiefelbein / AP

    Photos: Spring in Bloom

    Images from the past few weeks of people enjoying flowering trees and fields—signs of warmer days to come