That California sunshine has grown dangerous. While parts of the US are battling major blizzards, California has stayed dangerously dry this season, suffering through a drought that's lasted three years. In mid-January, California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state emergency, calling it "perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen since records began about 100 years ago." To put the effects in perspective, the snow levels in the Sierra Nevada mountains [1] are at only 12 percent of the average level, and wildfires have broken out in areas that are typically wet this time of year.

So what, exactly, does that mean? For one thing, the state's agriculture is seriously suffering, with more than 200,000 acres of land [2] going unplanted in Fresno County, because farmers don't have the water to support the plants. Reservoirs across California are dry, with rocky shores and artifacts from old towns suddenly visible. As the drought effects continue, several areas are enforcing water-use limitations, with cities like Santa Cruz banning restaurants from giving their guests drinking water unless it's requested. Take a look at these shocking photos for some insight into the severity of California's drought.

A "no diving" sign sits over the dried-up Kern River in Bakersfield, CA.

Rocky shores are exposed at the San Gabriel Reservoir near Azusa, CA.

The ground is dry and cracked at the bottom of San Jose's Almaden Reservoir.

A car sits in the dried earth at the Almaden Reservoir.

A tumbleweed blew along the sands of Bakersfield's Kern River, which is completely dried up.

Water levels are low along the shores of Morris Reservoir near Azusa.

What's left of the San Gabriel River passes over muddy ground.

San Jose's Almaden Reservoir has strikingly low water levels.

A boat dock sits on the dry ground at Steven Creek Reservoir in Cupertino, CA.

Cupertino's Stevens Creek Reservoir has dangerously low water levels.

There's just a small pool of water in the middle of the Almaden Reservoir in San Jose, CA.

Dry earth is seen in the Kern River in central California.