The developing El Nino may bring some drought relief to the southwest, but for now, conditions are dire.

Vox.com:

Fully half of the mainland United States is now facing drier-than-usual conditions, with 15 percent of the country experiencing “extreme” to “exceptional” drought.

What’s more, California is facing one of its worst dry spells on record — with every single part of the state now in drought. Dry conditions may be one reason why massive wildfires are now breaking out in California a few weeks earlier than usual. The drought is also hurting the state’s crucial agricultural sector.

The situation is particularly dire in California, which is on track to suffer one of its worst droughts in at least 500 years.

According to the US Drought Monitor, every single part of California is now facing “severe,” “extreme,” or “exceptional” drought — the first time that’s happened in the monitor’s 15-year history.

What happened? Much of the state was already in drought during 2013, but conditions worsened considerably this year. A blocking ridge of high pressure kept California hot and dry during the normally wet winter. That means there was far less snow falling on the Sierra Nevada mountains — and hence less snow melt providing water during the spring.