A sign prohibits jumping from a bridge into the dry river bottom of the Kern River as drought continues to worsen on July 11, 2021 near Bakersfield, California. Authorities are bracing for a predicted driest year on record for the Kern River, carrying only about a quarter of its average Sierra snowmelt water to Lake Isabella. Large portion of the West are now in the most extreme drought category and fire officials are warning of another devastating wildfire season in California.