--- title: California Drought Worst In 1,200 Years description: California's three years of low rainfall is the region's worst drought in 1,200 years, according to a new study. canonical: https://time.com/3621246/california-drought-study/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-05T23:14:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:15.172Z article:section: Science og:title: California Drought Worst In 1,200 Years og:description: California's three years of low rainfall is the region's worst drought in 1,200 years, according to a new study. og:url: https://time.com/3621246/california-drought-study/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e793175d77d77d2/69876d202dce01ef349dc425/465639743-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: California Drought Dries Up Bay Area Reservoirs og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: California Drought Worst In 1,200 Years twitter:description: California's three years of low rainfall is the region's worst drought in 1,200 years, according to a new study. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e793175d77d77d2/69876d202dce01ef349dc425/465639743-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # California's Drought Is Now the Worst in 1,200 Years > Sponsored content. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: How California’s Drought Will Affect Your Wallet [Watch (HLS stream): How California’s Drought Will Affect Your Wallet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/e4k4jpdG.m3u8) (1:21)  _Published 2014-09-17. A drought in California means higher grocery prices for Americans_  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Dec 5, 2014 11:14 PM UTC  A car sits in dried and cracked earth of what was the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir on Jan. 28, 2014 in San Jose, Calif. A car sits in dried and cracked earth of what was the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir on Jan. 28, 2014 in San Jose, Calif.Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Dec 5, 2014 11:14 PM UTC California’s three years of low rainfall is the region’s worst drought in 1,200 years, according to a new [study](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014GL062433/abstract). Record high temperatures combined with unusually low levels of precipitation have been the primary causes of the dry conditions, according to the study in the journal _Geophysical Research Letters._ “It was a surprise,” study author Kevin Anchukaitis told the Los Angeles [_Times_ ](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-drought-worst-20141205-story.html)of the findings. “I don’t think we expected to see that at all.” The drought has led to tremendous economic costs in the state, including an expected $2.2 billion and 17,000 farming jobs this year alone, according to a [report](http://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/economic%5Fimpact%5Fof%5Fthe%5F2014%5Fcalifornia%5Fwater%5Fdrought%5F1.pdf) from the University of California, Davis. It’s also expected to [increase](https://time.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3393608&action=edit) food prices across the country. And the problem may not be going away soon. 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