California is reeling from the driest conditions in the past five decades — and the impact can be seen from space, according to a NASA report.

New satellite photos taken of the state’s two largest reservoirs, Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville, are compared to photos taken in 2019, a more typical year. The differences are dramatic: A thick, tan outline, known as a “bathtub ring,” can be seen around the lakes in 2021. It can’t be spotted when the reservoirs are near capacity.

Shasta Lake

In June, Shasta Lake was at about 41 percent of capacity and Lake Oroville at about 35 percent of capacity, according to the report. This is a result of months of unusually warm temperatures and precipitation about 50 percent of normal.

Lake Oroville

The reservoir deficits also have been made worse by a lack of snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada. In some years, the snow runs down from the mountains and feeds valley rivers into summer. This year’s snowmelt began earlier than usual, and the water was absorbed by parched soil in the mountains — leaving little for the valleys.

The vanishing snowmelt also was captured by satellite.

Sierra snowbank. (NASA) 

Authorities estimate that reduced annual water allocations in many cities will continue until mid-November when rainy season returns.