For the first time in 15 years, 100 percent of California is completely parched, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The Golden State has been entrenched in drought conditions, Live Science reported.
"With the expansion of D1 [moderate drought] across southeast California and southwest Arizona, this week marks the first time in the 15-year history of the USDM that 100 percent of California was in moderate to exceptional drought," according to a statement by the Monitor, which is a joint effort by the National Drought Mitigation Center, NOAA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. drought observers.
The state has been plagued by "abnormally dry" conditions since March 25. But this week, the Drought Monitor listed the entire state as experiencing a moderate drought.
The California drought is being felt by various parts of the state more than others. According to the Monitor, the city of Montague has asked residents to curtail outside watering at this time since they may run out of drinking water by the end of the summer.
"This is the first time in over 80 years of water deliveries from the Montague Water Conservation District that this situation has occurred," a statement from the Monitor reads.
Many growers in Shasta Valley and Big Springs - both part of Siskiyou County, in the northernmost part of California in the Shasta region - are struggling to water their fields, Live Science reported.
To illustrate the frustration felt by farmers, the Monitor quoted an observer in Siskiyou County.
"Our snow pack is pathetic, rainfall is way below normal, (low) stream flows are running at 2-3 months ahead of normal depending on the area, well levels have dropped severely and many wells are dry in spring or have levels typical of late fall, surface water irrigation supplies are non-existent to extremely limited in many areas, and the situation is only getting worse daily (especially after 3 consecutive years of drought)."
In fact, California's snowpack, or the snow that accumulates on mountaintops during the winter, is at less than one-third of its historical average, according to measurements from NASA's Airborne Snow Observatory reported this month, Live Science reported.
According to the National Weather Service, 2013 was recorded as California's driest year on record.
