California is Fully Free of Drought for the First Time in a Quarter Century.
After a quarter-century span, every region of California is facing drought conditions. This significant achievement follows grueling years marked by below-average rain that worsened blaze threats and strained its massive agricultural sector.
A Chart Reveals Zero Drought
A recent update from the federal monitoring program showed that California in its entirety is free from any level of drought. This change came after weeks of heavy precipitation that replenished key lakes like Oroville and Shasta well above their long-term norms.
“If you’re 25 or younger you’ve always lived in a world where California has been entering or recovering from drought,” noted a weather expert.
After Severe Systems to Wet Holidays
The path to this point involved intense and deadly winter storms that battered the state in the not-too-distant past, resulting in widespread flooding, electrical failures, and deaths. While those storms started to mitigate the drought, they weren't enough to erase it completely.
As late as late December, regions like the state's northeast corner were deemed unusually parched. Heavy rains at the beginning of January washed away those last vestiges of dryness.
A Crucial Snowpack Presents a Challenge
But, authorities caution that being out of drought is not the same as being out of the woods. Latest data of the Sierra Nevada snowpack indicate it is approximately 70 percent of the historical norm.
This frozen reservoir, which supplies about a third of the state's water as it runs off, is an essential component for long-term water security. State experts have emphasized that it is premature to determine the outlook for the annual water supply.
“The trend we’re looking at right now is a higher ratio of rain to snow,” commented a California water official. “We’d like to see the snow accumulation to improve by 1 April so that we’re closer to average.”
While the drought map shows a clean slate, attention turns to preserving this hard-won hydrological health during the coming seasons.