California is completely drought-free for the first time in 25 years

Some wet years and recent winter storms have helped bring the state out of drought after years of insufficient rainfall

California is completely drought-free for the first time in 25 years

TL;DR

  • California is now completely drought-free for the first time since 2000.
  • Recent wet years and winter storms have replenished state reservoirs above historic averages.
  • The drought had previously intensified the state's wildfire crisis and challenged its agricultural sector.
  • Despite being drought-free, snowpack levels in the Sierra Nevada are currently around 70% of the average.
  • The melting snowpack provides about a third of the state's water supply.
  • Hydrologists caution that it is too early to definitively assess the year's water supply due to lower snowpack.