California is Fully Free of Drought for the First Time in Two and a Half Decades.
After a quarter-century span, no portion of the state is experiencing drought conditions. This landmark event arrives after difficult years marked by below-average rain that intensified fire dangers and challenged its enormous farming industry.
A Map Shows Zero Dryness
The latest assessment from the U.S. Drought Monitor illustrated that California in its entirety is free from drought or abnormal dryness. This shift resulted from multiple above-normal rainfall that replenished water storage sites like the state's largest lakes well above their typical levels.
“If you’re 25 or younger you’ve spent your life in a world where California has been grappling with drought,” noted a local meteorologist.
From Intense Storms to Rainy Seasons
The journey here featured powerful and fatal winter storms that battered the state in the not-too-distant past, leading to widespread flooding, electrical failures, and deaths. Even though those events helped ease the drought, they fell short of ending it.
Even into late December, areas like Modoc County were deemed abnormally dry. Subsequent downpours at the beginning of January finally erased those remaining dry spots.
A Crucial Snowpack Is Below Average
Yet, authorities caution that being out of drought should not be confused with being out of the woods. Current readings of the high-elevation snow indicate it is only about 70% of the average for this date.
This snowpack, which provides approximately 30% of the state's water supply as it thaws later in the year, is a critical factor for long-term water security. Water officials point out that it is premature to determine the outlook for the annual water supply.
“The current pattern right now is more rain than snow,” explained a hydrology section chief. “The goal is the snow accumulation to improve by 1 April so that we’re closer to average.”
While the drought map is entirely green, the focus now shifts to preserving this positive water situation during the rest of the year.
