California declares drought emergency across vast swath of state

Majority of counties now under emergency declaration as California faces extensive dry spell and dwindling water supply

California has expanded a drought emergency declaration to a large swath of the nation's most populated state amid acute water supply shortages" in northern and central parts of California.

The declaration, expanded by Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday, now includes 41 of 58 counties, covering 30% of California's nearly 40 million people. The US drought monitor shows most of the state and the American west is in extensive drought just a few years after California emerged from a punishing multiyear dry spell.