California is emerging from one of the driest winters in its history, and 2020 was a record year for wildfires in the state with five of the six worst fires in modern history. Officials have been working to address mitigation efforts and insurance affordability while dealing with severe to extreme drought in the state. California is not the only state or region experiencing drought and increased risk of wildfire. More than half of the West is experiencing extreme drought with scientists saying the region is going through its worst drought period in centuries. California and Oregon have wide swaths of the state in extreme drought conditions making conditions ripe for another record year of forest fires.

Drought occurs when there is a period of drier than normal conditions that results in water problems. While droughts do not have an immediate effect like floods they do cause significant damage to crops, the environment and the economy. When less than average precipitation from either rain or snow occurs, a region can experience drought conditions. Because weather patterns are unpredictable, droughts can occur during years with less than normal precipitation and prolonged periods of drier conditions, leading to more severe drought conditions in subsequent years.

Regions and areas affected by drought in any given year or years can vary. The beginning and ending of a drought can be hard to pinpoint unlike other weather events such as tornadoes, hurricanes and thunderstorms. However, certain regions like the West, Southwest and Midwest are more prone to droughts than others. Currently 88 percent of the Western States are experiencing drought conditions with 26 percent of the region being in "extreme drought". Reservoirs are far below normal levels, with many 50 percent below average for this time of year. The Dust Bowl Years of the 1930s is an example of extreme severe prolonged drought where dust storms destroyed crops and farms.