Thread by @thisisinsider

California's Lake Oroville helps water a quarter of the nation's crops and anchors the local tourism economy.

But the lake is shrinking fast amid a severe drought and is predicted to reach a record low this summer.

insider.com/photos-drought…

Droughts are common in California.

But this year's is much hotter and drier than others, evaporating water more quickly from the reservoirs and the sparse Sierra Nevada snowpack that feeds them.

insider.com/photos-drought…

Over Memorial Day weekend, dozens of houseboats sat on cinder blocks at Lake Oroville because there wasn't enough water to hold them.

In nearby Folsom Lake, boat docks rested on dry land. Campers occupied dusty riverbanks farther north at Shasta Lake.

insider.com/photos-drought…

The impacts of dwindling reservoirs go beyond weekend anglers.

Farmers need water to irrigate crops. Businesses need reservoirs full so tourists will visit. Everyone needs the water to run power plants that supply much of the state's energy.

insider.com/photos-drought…

If Lake Oroville falls below 640 feet — which it could in August — state officials would shut down a major power plant, straining the electrical grid during the peak demand of the hottest part of summer.

insider.com/photos-drought…

Last year was the third-driest year on record in terms of precipitation.

Temperatures hit triple digits in much of California over the Memorial Day weekend, earlier than expected.

insider.com/photos-drought…

Energy officials say they are prepared this summer, having obtained an additional 3,500 megawatts of capacity ahead of the scorching summer months.

insider.com/photos-drought…

The low lake levels haven't stopped tourists.

Aaron Wright, state parks official for Northern California, said attendance is double the norm.

insider.com/photos-drought…