An extremely dry March followed a below normal February for most areas. This continued the 4th consecutive year of drought for the region. Mountain snowfall was very limited for the month. This along with record warmth over the area resulted in the lowest snow pack levels on record for the time of year. By the end of March, the snow pack was only about 5 percent of normal levels. Melting snow pack supplies about a third of the annual water supply for California. Reservoirs across the area by the end of March were already well below normal levels.
Extreme drought was detected by the U.S. Drought Monitor across most the region, with exceptional drought for the northern San Joaquin Valley, the central and southern Sacramento Valley, the Burney Basin and the Sierra south of Interstate 80.

Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency for the entire state of California January 17, 2014 and this continued to be in effect.
Local Emergency Proclamations have been issued for El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Plumas,  San Joaquin, Shasta, Sutter,  Tuolumne, and Yuba counties. The cities of Live Oak Lodi, and Ripon continue in a drought emergency. Drought task forces have been established in Butte, Lake, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tuolumne, and Yolo counties to coordinate response to the drought.
Voluntary water conservation efforts reduced water usage by 3.6 percent statewide compared to March 2014. Governor Brown ordered mandatory restrictions of 25 percent statewide, the first time such mandatory restrictions have been enacted.
Agriculture has been heavily impacted, with numerous farm and farm related jobs lost. Spring planting is being scaled back significantly, with many existing tree crops and vines being removed due to a lack of irrigation water. The state continued to supply food assistance to those impacted. California Disaster Assistance Act money continued to be provided for those who have lost drinking water due to dry wells.
There was a large decrease in the snow-related tourism activity in the mountains due to the lack of snow, with many resorts closing early.

Drought in MOTHERLODE/CAMPTONVILLE TO GROVELAND, CALIFORNIA
From 01-MAR-15 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-15 23:59:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Impacts to the region for March included conservation efforts within most foothill communities. Increased water conservation measures were passed by the state to increase reductions further by limiting water use for lawn watering and added incentives to limit water use in hotels and restaurants  There was a continued reduction of ground water resources which are being used to replace diminished reservoir water. Agricultural impacts included orchard reduction, limits on planting and increased costs due to reliance on groundwater. Sutter County alone has lost an estimated 1100 agriculture related jobs. The Lake Don Pedro Community (La Grange and Coulterville)  adopted mandatory water conservation measures and water use restrictions effective March 9th due to the drought emergency and severe lack of water supply in Lake McClure, which is expected to go dry this summer.

Drought in NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
From 01-MAR-15 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-15 23:59:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Newspaper

The drought is impacting the northern Sacramento Valley, with farmers reducing acres planted and removing some trees from orchards. Agricultural jobs and related businesses have lost jobs. Air quality has suffered, with particulate levels at the highest levels in a decade for some locations.

Drought in CENTRAL SACRAMENTO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
From 01-MAR-15 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-15 23:59:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Newspaper

The drought is impacting the central Sacramento Valley, with farmers reducing acres planted and removing some trees from orchards. An example of this is rice acreage, which has been cut back by about 25 percent. Agricultural jobs and related businesses have lost jobs. Air quality has suffered, with particulate levels at the highest levels in a decade for some locations.

Drought in NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
From 01-MAR-15 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-15 23:59:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Newspaper

The drought is strongly impacting the northern San Joaquin Valley, with farmers reducing acres planted and removing some trees from orchards. Agricultural jobs and businesses related to agriculture have lost jobs. Air quality has suffered, with particulate levels at the highest levels in a decade for some locations.

Drought in SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
From 01-MAR-15 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-15 23:59:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Newspaper

The drought is impacting the southern Sacramento Valley, with farmers reducing acres planted and removing some trees from orchards. An example of this is rice acreage, which has been cut back by about 25 percent. Agricultural jobs and related businesses have lost jobs. Air quality has suffered, with particulate levels at the highest levels in a decade for some locations.

Drought in WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA, CALIFORNIA
From 01-MAR-15 00:00:00 to 24-MAR-15 23:59:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Newspaper

There was a large decrease in the snow-related tourism activity in the Northern Sierra Nevada due to a well below normal snow pack. Many ski resorts ended their seasons early and shut down in March.

Drought in MOUNTAINS SOUTHWEST SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
From 01-MAR-15 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-15 23:59:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Newspaper

The drought is impacting Lake County, with farmers clipping some wine grape vines, reducing irrigation needed this summer, while reducing their harvest. Agricultural jobs and related businesses have lost jobs.

Drought in CLEAR LAKE/SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
From 01-MAR-15 00:00:00 to 31-MAR-15 23:59:00 (PST-8)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Newspaper

The drought is impacting Lake County, with farmers clipping some wine grape vines, reducing irrigation needed this summer, while reducing their harvest. Agricultural jobs and related businesses have lost jobs.