California drought causing mountains to grow taller

California is heading into its third year of drought and it's gotten so bad it's actually caused the ground to rise.

Scientists in San Diego discovered that mountains in some areas have grown *half an inch* because there's no water to weigh them down.

A researcher explained to Popular Science, "Think of the Earth as a big rubber ball. It's made of material that is elastic, and if you push on it, it goes in a little bit. If that push is taken away, by water evaporating, there's less weight on that part of the earth, and it goes up."

The state is currently at an alarming Stage 4 level of drought and an estimated 62 trillion gallons of water are missing.

Data from the U.S. Drought Monitor suggests more than half the state is facing "exceptional drought" - and a map shows it's spreading quickly.

Hundreds of residents have run out of tap water, the National Weather Service reports some 4,000 wildfires have destroyed more than 80,000 acres this year and the wine industry is taking a hit - which also suffered setbacks from the 6.0 magnitude earthquake.

The severe conditions are Experts estimate the severe conditions will cost the state more than 17,000 jobs in the agriculture industry - as well as $2.2 billion this year.

More from AOL
Malaysia Airlines could be liable in crash
The US has begun surveillance flights over Syria
Elephants dance and sway to violin music