In late March, snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range stood at just eight percent of the historical average, the lowest level since officials began keeping records in 1950.
The University of Michigan's barometer of sentiment fell to 72.5 in the first part of the month, far below the historical average of 86.5 and prerecession levels of 78.4.
But the situation is still bleak: Every single river in California has recorded lower year-to-date precipitation levels than the historical average, according to data maintained by the California Department of Water Resources.
Advocates for low-income and older Americans have also been harsh critics of the Simpson-Bowles plan, saying it would keep tax rates on businesses and wealthy Americans at levels below the historical average, and underwrite that by sharply cutting Social Security and Medicare.
The 2010 epidemic is considered the longest-lasting dengue outbreak ever registered in Puerto Rico, with cases starting to appear during the first week of 2010, peaking around August and returning to levels below the historical average in December of that year [ 67].
The state's biggest reservoir Lake Shasta in northern California is full to the brim, with a water level way above its historical average.
Nevertheless, although the cyclically adjusted ratio has fallen from a heady 44 in 1999, it is still around 20, a level well above the historical average of 15.
It seems likely that the ratio of employees to rigs, currently in the red region, will keep moving toward a "normal" level closer to a historical average.
That level is roughly eight times the historical average, leading some investors to worry that the United States is in a Japan-like stock market bubble.
