Since the start of the water year, California seems to be entirely out of the worst drought category. About 1.4% is still considered to be in the second-worst drought category which is a huge improvement from the last few years.
Although it is out of the extreme drought categories due much needed rain and snowfall seen this past December, California still remains in the moderate to severe range. Beforehand, more than 45% of the state was in the worst drought category and roughly 87% in the severe category.
“We could not have asked for a better December in terms of Sierra snow and rain,” DWR Director Karla Nemeth said in a news release. “But Californians need to be aware that even these big storms may not refill our major reservoirs during the next few months. We need more storms and average temperatures this winter and spring, and we can’t be sure it’s coming.”
Regardless of the recent high snow and rainfall, records show that these conditions have happened before linked to the La Niña event. According to the seasonal outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, it’s more likely to have a drier-than-normal climate in the following months.
NOAA also predicts that the majority of California with the exception of northernmost part will continue with drought conditions. ENSO neutral conditions are expected to return sometime in spring despite the La Niña conditions nearing their peak.
