California Drought Is Worsened by Global Warming, Scientists Say

nytimes.com - The severe California drought that has led the state to order cutbacks in water use may not have been set off by climate change, scientists say, but global warming is making the situation worse.

“The drought is made of two components: not enough rain and too much heat,” said Michael Oppenheimer, a climate scientist at Princeton. “The rain deficit isn’t clearly connected to climate change, but the planetary warming has made it more likely that the weather would be hotter in California.”

Warmer temperatures worsen drought by causing more evaporation from reservoirs, rivers and soil.