🔗 Share this article The Golden State is Entirely Free of Drought for the First Time in 25 Years. After a quarter-century span, not a single part of the state is experiencing drought conditions. This landmark event comes on the heels of challenging years marked by below-average rain that worsened fire dangers and pressured its enormous farming industry. A Map Shows Zero Dryness A recent update from the federal monitoring program showed that all of California is free from any level of drought. This change resulted from a period of above-normal rainfall that replenished key lakes like Oroville and Shasta well above their typical levels. “For anyone 25 or under you’ve always lived in a world where California has been grappling with drought,” stated a local meteorologist. From Intense Storms to Wet Holidays The journey here involved intense and deadly winter storms that pummeled the state in the not-too-distant past, leading to significant overflow, electrical failures, and deaths. While those storms started to mitigate the drought, they did not eliminate it. Even into late December, areas like Modoc County were deemed experiencing dryness. Heavy rains at the beginning of January eliminated those last vestiges of dryness. A Crucial Snowpack Is Below Average Yet, authorities caution that the end of drought status should not be confused with having no water worries. Recent measurements of the mountain snow accumulation place it at roughly seven-tenths of the average for this date. This mountain snow, which supplies approximately 30% of the state's water supply as it thaws later in the year, is a key piece for the year ahead. Hydrology managers have emphasized that it is not yet time to make predictions for the coming year. “What we are observing right now is more rain than snow,” commented a California water official. “We’d like to see the snow accumulation to increase by the start of April so that we’re approaching the typical mark.” Although the monitor is entirely green, the next challenge is to maintaining this hard-won hydrological health for the months to come.
After a quarter-century span, not a single part of the state is experiencing drought conditions. This landmark event comes on the heels of challenging years marked by below-average rain that worsened fire dangers and pressured its enormous farming industry. A Map Shows Zero Dryness A recent update from the federal monitoring program showed that all of California is free from any level of drought. This change resulted from a period of above-normal rainfall that replenished key lakes like Oroville and Shasta well above their typical levels. “For anyone 25 or under you’ve always lived in a world where California has been grappling with drought,” stated a local meteorologist. From Intense Storms to Wet Holidays The journey here involved intense and deadly winter storms that pummeled the state in the not-too-distant past, leading to significant overflow, electrical failures, and deaths. While those storms started to mitigate the drought, they did not eliminate it. Even into late December, areas like Modoc County were deemed experiencing dryness. Heavy rains at the beginning of January eliminated those last vestiges of dryness. A Crucial Snowpack Is Below Average Yet, authorities caution that the end of drought status should not be confused with having no water worries. Recent measurements of the mountain snow accumulation place it at roughly seven-tenths of the average for this date. This mountain snow, which supplies approximately 30% of the state's water supply as it thaws later in the year, is a key piece for the year ahead. Hydrology managers have emphasized that it is not yet time to make predictions for the coming year. “What we are observing right now is more rain than snow,” commented a California water official. “We’d like to see the snow accumulation to increase by the start of April so that we’re approaching the typical mark.” Although the monitor is entirely green, the next challenge is to maintaining this hard-won hydrological health for the months to come.