SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – In the reversal we've all been waiting for, half of California is no longer considered to be in a drought.
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The United States Drought Monitor released its latest map — which accounts for all the rain and snow in the state as of Tuesday — Thursday morning, spreading the good news. It shows the Sierra Foothills, Central Valley, North and Central Coasts and most of the Bay Area is now in the "no drought" category or "abnormally dry," which is a step below official drought.
"This is the first time I've seen it in quite a while that we have had such heavy precipitations, such beneficial precipitation from a hydrological standpoint, across the state and to have actually removed the state from any sort of dryness, not just drought," said Rich Tinker, forecaster with the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Just last week 84.6% of the state was in a drought, while now that number has shrunk to 49.1%. Three months ago, the entire state was in a drought, with 40% in the "extreme" and "exceptional" categories.
"Most reservoirs are still below normal at this time of the year, but we're talking about 90-95% of normal, whereas in the autumn we were talking 50% of normal, so this is a pretty huge increase," Tinker explained. "The ones that have not reacted very well are the ones that rely mostly on snowmelt as opposed to precipitation that falls at the time."
The reservoirs that rely on snowmelt will be filled in the spring, putting forecasters' worries to rest that California will have substantial water throughout the season. The last time less than 50% of the state was in drought was July 21, 2020.
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