Is California's drought really over?

California’s wet and snowy winter is paying off.

Data released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday shows roughly half of the Golden State is no longer experiencing drought conditions. But water managers say it's not time to celebrate yet.

The latest survey shows the entire coastline of California, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego are either “abnormally dry” or have no drought classification at all.

Just three months ago virtually all of California was in drought, including extreme and exceptional levels. Water agencies serving millions of people, agriculture and industry were told to expect only a fraction of requested allocations.

This image released by the United States Drought Monitor on March 2, 2023, shows that many areas of California are no longer in drought conditions after the recent storms.

The turnabout began with a series of atmospheric rivers that pounded the state from late December through mid-January, building a huge Sierra Nevada snowpack. Storms in late February, which paralyzed some mountain communities, increased the snowpack even more.

“The rain has improved California soil moisture and streamflow levels, while the snow has increased mountain snowpack to much above-normal levels,” the U.S. Drought Monitor said. 

This is the first time since late 2020 that Los Angeles and San Diego counties have been clear of drought conditions, which unfortunately still persist in Southern California’s desert regions and the northeastern area of the state.

Water managers are encouraged by the soaring snowpack, but they caution that California’s yearslong drought is still not over, namely because the state’s 500-plus groundwater basins are still lagging behind.

“Many rural areas are still experiencing water supply challenges, especially communities that rely on groundwater supplies which have been depleted due to prolonged drought,” said Jeanine Jones, Interstate Resources Manager with California’s Department of Water Resources. “It would take more than a single wet year for groundwater levels to substantially improve at a statewide scale.”

Looking ahead, Jones said reservoirs used for flood control and water should start to fill up as early as mid-March when spring runoff begins.

“Water supply forecasts, streamflow runoff, and the resulting reservoir storage gains are a key metric to follow as we move into the snowmelt period when reservoir operators attempt to optimize their storage,” Jones said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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