Despite the excessive rain and snow that California received in April, drought has crept back into the state, new data show. The U.S. Drought Monitor map released on Thursday shows 65% of California as abnormally dry and nearly 5% experiencing moderate drought. Before now, the period from December 2025 through March 2026 marked the first time in 25 years that California was entirely free of drought or even dryness on the monitor. … Precipitation blanketed California during the winter, but the record-breaking heat meant it either arrived as rain or else melted away quickly. Preliminary data showed that this year’s April 1 snowpack was the second lowest on record, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

Other drought news around the West:

• KOLO (Reno, Nev.): Three more Nevada counties included in disaster declaration
• The Boulder Reporting Lab (Colo.): Boulder is avoiding water cuts for now, but snowpack has fallen to historically low levels
• Wyoming Public Media: Ongoing drought and high costs create challenges for Wyoming farmers