Extreme drought conditions persist in California

STORY: Extreme drought conditions persist in California DATELINE: July 3, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:32 LOCATION: FERNLEY, U.S. CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of Pyramid Lake amid drought 2. SOUNDBITE (English): CHRIS JONES, Data analyst based in Reno City STORYLINE: The latest data released by the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) showed that California remained mired in extreme drought conditions when the most populous state in the United States entered its tenth month of the 2022 water year. In total, 97.5 percent of the state's land area is in at least "severe" drought status, 59.8 percent in at least "extreme" drought and the driest 11.6 percent in "exceptional" drought, according to the USDM's weekly report update released on Thursday. From January through March 2022, California has only received about half the amount of rainfall recorded in comparison to 2013, which ended up turning into the driest calendar year on record, media reported. In addition, snowpack melted to zero in the souther