We're not used to seeing this side of the drought.

Rather than a dried-up lake or shrinking reserves, this is a view of towering Half Dome at Yosemite National Park, a giant directly tied to the survival of California's water supply.

The snapshots in the GIF above were taken from a in late March, starting in 2011 and ending in 2015. Typically around the start of spring, Yosemite's Half Dome is covered in snow. As the years pass, you can see the snowpack fade into the background as the drought takes its toll.

On the left are images from the U.S. Drought Monitor that show the state's conditions around the same time the Half Dome pictures were captured. The darker the colors, the more severe the drought. You can see Half Dome, marked by the blue dot, become swallowed by maroon at the end, signalling takeover by exceptional drought.

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California relies on the shrinking Sierra Nevada snowpack for a third of its water, and with less snow coating the mountains nearby every year, water restrictions in the state will only tighten.

The Yosemite Conservancy runs on donations to help preserve the park. You can visit its website .

The conservancy also provides that date back to 2007.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park

A view of a rockfall from the east side along El Portal Road (Highway 140) within Yosemite National Park in California.