On Jan. 17, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency as the state grapples with what could turn out to be the driest year in recorded history for many areas.

The NASA satellite photographs below compares California's snow cover in January 2013 to January 2014. Move the arrows from side to side in the photos below to see more.

California | Left: Jan. 18, 2013 | Right: Jan. 18, 2014 [NASA images courtesy LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team]