LOS ANGELES – Tremendous rain and snowfall since late last year have freed half of California from drought, but low groundwater levels remain a persistent problem, according to U.S. Drought Monitor data presented Thursday.
The latest survey found that moderate or severe drought covers 49% of the state, and nearly 17% of the state is drought-free or a condition described as abnormally dry. The remainder is still abnormally dry.
Just three months ago, virtually all of California was in drought, even at extreme and exceptional levels. Water agencies serving millions of people, agriculture and industry were told to expect only a fraction of the requested allocations.
The change began with a series of atmospheric rivers that battered the state from late December through mid-January, forming a massive snowpack in the Sierra Nevada. After a few largely dry weeks, powerful storms returned in February. Water authorities began increasing allocations.
The monitor shows that three regions have received the most precipitation. The central Sierra and foothills are now free of drought or abnormal dryness for the first time since January 2020, the monitor said. The central coast from Monterey Bay to Los Angeles County is now also drought-free, along with two counties on the north coast.
“Rainfall has improved California’s soil moisture and flow levels, while snowpack has increased mountain snowpack to well above normal levels,” according to the monitor. “Most California reservoirs have refilled with water levels near or above average, but groundwater levels remain low and may take months to recover.”