California is in one heck of a meteorological rut.

New data released on Wednesday shows the state continues to have its warmest year on record so far, with statewide average temperatures coming in nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit above the previous record set just last year.

See also: What this NASA scientist meant about California having a year of water left

The heat is a key contributor — as well as a symptom of — the state's historic drought, which has become so severe that Governor Jerry Brown issued the first-ever mandatory statewide water restrictions last week.

According to data from NOAA, California's statewide average temperature for the January through March period has been 7.5 degrees Fahrenheit above average. Last year was the state's warmest on record, and the same period last year saw a statewide average temperature of 5.7 degrees Fahrenheit above average.

The 2014 and 2015 records noted via arrows. Image: NOAA

The Golden State keeps on piling up warm weather accolades like Meryl Streep on Oscar nominations day.

It has already set a record for the warmest winter in state history, which was measured using the months of December 2014 through February 2015, beating the old record set just last year. San Francisco had its warmest winter in city history, and for the first time, it didn't rain at all in January, which is normally among the city's wettest months.

For a state already mired in a severe drought, this was not the winter season California needed. Several years of drought have depleting the state's reservoirs, as thirsty farmers desperately tap groundwater, causing land in parts of the state to sink.

Typically, the state's mountain snowpack provides up to 30% of the state's annual freshwater resources and is at a seasonal peak depth in early April. But in the face of mild Pacific storms that brought rain instead of snow, as well as drier-than-average conditions and a record-warm winter, the snow cover stood at just 5% of average on April 1, by far the lowest level ever recorded.

The state's drought is the worst in at least 1,200 years, by one measure. It easily eclipses other historic drought events in the mid-1970s and 1930s. Given that those events occurred while the state was far less populated than it is now, the current drought event is posing an unprecedented challenge for state water managers and users.

The ongoing drought has its roots in variations in ocean conditions and atmospheric circulation across the Pacific and North America.

For more than a year now, a giant blob of unusually mild waters has set up shop in the northeast Pacific and Gulf of Alaska, with an area of high pressure — or a "high pressure ridge" — forming above it. This ridge has periodically intensified to levels that have made many meteorologists scratch their heads in amazement. It has also been a persistent feature of the airflow across the Northern Hemisphere during the past year or more.

Weather forecasters have nicknamed it the "ridiculously resilient ridge" for its tenacity. Every time computer models project it will break down, it seems to persevere. This ridge has acted like an atmospheric detour, redirecting storms far to the north of California and keeping mild air flowing into the state all year long.

Image: NOAA

Against this atmospheric backdrop, the Brown administration's water restrictions may be too little, too late. The state government aims to achieve a 25% cut in water use across the state. While it would require agricultural interests to report more information to the state about their water use, potentially paving the way for water restrictions in the future, it would not, however, impose new limitations on growers.

The water restrictions, which will be implemented via an executive order, may be difficult for the state to meet, considering that there was a steep drop-off in conservation gains made last month.

California is not the only state that has seen a record warm year so far. According to NOAA data, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Montana, Oregon and Washington were each record warm for the same period.

At the same time, the Midwest and Northeast were both extremely cold for the January through March period, with New York and Vermont setting records for the coldest such periods on record.