The Upside of All That Rain: Less Drought

[canyonwalker]

There's an upside to all the rainy, dreary weather we've been getting. After now 12 atmospheric rivers this season (again, normally 1-2 are enough to make news headlines for a few days) we're well past normal seasonal rainfalls in California. Reservoirs are filling up. A few are even discharging for the first time in a few years. We're gaining at least a one-year respite from drought.

I compiled a time series of charts from the U.S. Drought Monitor to show improvement in drought conditions over the past 6 months:



This is one of those cases where a picture is worth a thousand words. Just a few words I'll add in case you're not sure what you're seeing:

• California has gone from being 100% in drought conditions, with significant areas deemed at Extreme or Exceptional levels of drought, to more than half the state being out of drought.


• The major population centers on the coast are out of drought, as is the agricultural San Joaquin Valley.


• The agricultural Sacramento River Valley remains in moderate drought.

...And the rain season's not even over yet. The weather forecast shows another storm coming through mid-next week.