The state was gripped with what forecasters dubbed a “ relentless parade” of atmospheric rivers-long, intense bands of heavy rain-and near-record snowfall in early 2023, leaving behind days-long floods and mudslides, and resurrecting historic rivers and lake beds that had for decades gone dry. Key BackgroundĬalifornia has been gradually emerging from its drought over the past year, with roughly half of the state coming out of it at this point last year. 1 and is just 3 inches away from labeling this the second “snowiest” on record.Those storms have helped replenish the state’s parched reservoirs: Six major reservoirs across the state are at or near their historical average water level, with high-elevation snowpack providing more water as warmer weather starts melting the feet of snow accumulated in the mountains, Accuweather meteorologists said. UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab recorded nearly 56 feet of snow since Oct. As of Thursday, snowpack throughout California is 219% of the average. Peak snow season is generally on April 1. Some rain is forecast to fall between late Friday night and Saturday in Northern California, then another round of light sprinkles could fall Sunday into early next week.Īccording to the Department of Water Resources, 47 stations in the Central Sierra Nevada are reporting at 227% of normal on Thursday. See where your area lands: When will it rain and snow again in California?Įnjoy the dry conditions while you can because another batch of rain is coming to an already drenched California. Here are the drought conditions in California. Drought Monitor, was updated Thursday with data through March 14. The information used in this interactive map, collected from the U.S. The state has been free of both “extreme” or “exceptional” drought since January. Roughly 36% of the state has at least moderate drought - an improvement over last week’s 43.1% - and 8.5% remains in severe status, down from roughly 19%. Last week, more than 73% of the state was at least abnormally dry. Large portions of Northern California as well as the majority of the desert region including Inyo and San Bernardino counties remain in “severe” and “moderate” drought. Drought Monitor estimated more than 5 million people are living in drought-stricken conditions. Is California still in a drought?Ĭalifornia’s water storage at the end of February was 96% of the historical average for this time of year, compared to Colorado’s at 46% of the average, the U.S. The majority of the reservoirs are more than halfway filled. To add to the list: Whale Rock Reservoir in the city of San Luis Obispo is spilling for the first time in roughly 18 years.Īccording to the Department of Water resources, several of California’s reservoirs have surpassed their historic average. For the first time since 2019, officials opened the main spillway at Lake Oroville. Shasta Lake, the state’s largest reservoir, holds 81% more water than this time last year, according to the National Weather Service. Rain, low elevation melted snowpack and dam releases caused high water along many of California Central Valley waterways, the U.S. Thousands of residents were evacuated in the Monterey County community Pajaro after heavy rainfall caused a levee break along the Pajaro River in central California. On the flip side, California is struggling to contain all of its new water. Get the latest at #CAwx #CAdrought /n4ZLJuErAe Who wants an updated drought monitor?! Slight improvements over the last week, major improvements since the beginning of the water year.
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