IF YOU LOOK EAST, YOU CAN SEE THOSE BEHIND ME THAT ARE NORMALLY GREEN. THEY'RE ALREADY TURNING BROWN. LATEST U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR JUST RELEASED THIS MORNING SHOWS JUST HOW SERIOUS A PROBLEM WE'RE FACING AS CALIFORNIANS. 97.5 OF THE STATE IS IN SOME STAGE OF DROUGHT. THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS THE SOUTHWESTERN PART, WHICH IS SAN DIEGO. THE BAY AREA, MUCH OF LOS ANGELES, IS IN EXTREME DROUGHT AS DEPICTED BY THE AREAS ON YOUR TV SCREEN. CAN YOU SEE A STRETCH ALONG THE BORDER WITH NEVADA, ALREADY DECLARED AN EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT. GOVERNOR NEWSOM DECLARED DROUGHT EMERGENCIES IN MENDICINO COUNTY. IT'S BEEN AN ABNORMALLY DRY WINTER. THE GOVERNOR COULD EXTEND HIS DECLARATION TO OTHER PARTS OF CALIFORNIA AS THE CONDITIONS CHANGE. PAST HOUR THE UTILITIES PUBLIC COMMISSION ANNOUNCED IT'S ASKING FOR PEOPLE WHO USE THE WATER FOR IRRIGATION, FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS TO CUT BACK BY 10%. THEIR MAKING SIMILAR REQUESTS TO SAN FRANCISCO. EAST BAY OUT HERE ASKS ITS 1.4 MILLION CUSTOMERS TO CUT BACK WATER USAGE BY 10%. VALLEY WATER IN THE SOUTH BAY, WHICH ASKED ITS CUSTOMERS TO CUT BACK IN 2017 IS NOW ASKING FOR 25% REDUCTION. FARMERS REDUCE IRRIGATION AND SEEK OTHER WATER SOURCES AND HAVERGED HOMEOWNERS TO INVEST IN DROUGHT-RESISTANT LANDSCAPING AND UPGRADE TO MORE EFFICIENT DISHWASHERS AND WASHING MACHINES. FIREFIGHTERS ARE EXPECTING ANOTHER DEVASTATING WILDFIRE SEASON AS A RESULT OF THESE DRY CONDITIONS. OAKLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT TWEETED OUT THIS VIDEO OF ITS FIREFIGHTERS, TITLED IT HOPE FOR THE BEST, TRAIN FOR THE WORSE. YOU CAN SEE THEY'RE INSPECTING THEIR GEAR AND PRACTICING DEPLOYING THEIR SHELTERS THAT THEY WOULD USE IF, GOD FORBID, THEY WERE EVER OVERCOME BY A WILDFIRE AND NEEDED TO PROTECT THEMSELVES IN A LAST-DITCH EFFORT. YOU SAW THE OAKLAND FIREFIGHTERS. AGAIN, HERE WE ARE IN APRIL, PREPARING FOR THIS WILDFIRE SEASON THAT AGAIN IS EXPECTED TO BE BAD. REPORTING LIVE HERE IN DUBLIN, BOB REDELL, NBC NEWS. >> BOB, THANK YOU. >>> I WANT TO BRING IN METEOROLOGIST KARI HALL TO THIS CONVERSATION. YOU'VE BEEN TRACKING DRY CONDITIONS. SO, WHAT IS THE WEATHER GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN THE NEXT FIVE DAYS OR SO? >> YEAH, WE STILL DON'T HAVE ANY RAIN. IF WE DO GET STORM SYSTEMS COMING OUR WAY THEY DRY UP BEFORE THEY GET HERE. SAN FRANCISCO, SAN MATEO DOWN TO SAN JOSE AND EXTENDING ACROSS ALL OF THE EAST BAY INTO THE NORTH BAY. SO WHEN WE GET THIS TYPE OF DROUGHT STATUS, THAT MEANS THAT THE VEGETATION IS ALREADY DRY. WE'RE SEEING THAT AT RECORD LEVELS. WE'RE ALSO GETTING SOME DAMAGE TO OUR TREES. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A HARDER TIME WITH AGRICULTURE. NOW THAT WE NEED TO IRGATE AND FOR ALL OF USE NEED TO DESPERATELY CUT BACK ON OUR WATER USAGE AS WE SEE THE WATER LEVELS DROPPING. WE GET IN GUSTY WINDS, THAT'S THE OTHER CONCERN, THAT THE VEGETATION IS DRY. IF WE'RE NOT CAREFUL, ANY FIRES THAT DO DEVELOP COULD
