The drought is affecting several western states, including Oregon where I live. The severity here isn't (yet) as extreme as in California, but it definitely is

The drought is affecting several western states, including Oregon where I live. The severity here isn't (yet) as extreme as in California, but it definitely is having palpable detrimental effects on water supply and agriculture in parts of Oregon. There's been ongoing study of this weather phenomenon by various research institutions including Oregon State Univ. Apparently a "blob" of warmer-than-usual water in the northern Pacific is associated with the drought condition. It's uncertain if it's connected to global warming--that's a subject of ongoing study. There's a lot more information here: http://www.climateprediction.net/new-climatology-results-for-western-us-drought-experiment/ http://www.climateprediction.net/new-climatology-results-for... The graphic data presentation is quite interesting, e.g., comparing California, Oregon and Washington. The research relies on distributed computing to run experimental climate models, some HN readers might be interested in participating.