U.S. Drought Monitor Downgrades Entire Bay Area and Much of State Into 'Extreme' Drought Conditions SF may be "yellow" on the COVID reopening map, but a different map has us in the "red." Just two weeks after categorizing the region as being in a "severe" drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor has updated its map and put the entire Bay Area in the second-worst category for drought conditions. Based on measurements of precipitation, soil moisture, river levels, and other factors, the federal drought authority said Monday that a large swath of California is now in "extreme drought" status. While Sacramento County and some parts of Northern California have been in the red-designated "extreme" category for a number of weeks, the Bay Area had been in the orange or "severe" category as of April 20. Last week, a lot of the Bay Area entered the red, but parts of Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties were still in the less dry category.