California drought conditions have improved significantly in the past week, after a series of storms drenched the state. The state has received 119% of the precipitation it normally gets by this point in the water year, which begins on Oct. 1. The statewide snowpack is also 179% of average for this time of the year…. According to the map released Thursday morning by the U.S. Drought Monitor, no part of California currently falls under the category of exceptional drought, something that hasn’t been the case since the map released on May 10, 2022. And that update doesn’t include the impact of heavy storms that swept through the Bay Area on Wednesday, downing trees and flooding roadways.

Related articles:

• San Jose Mercury News: Look at how much California’s snowpack has grown in the last 12 days. Is the drought over yet?
• San Diego Union-Tribune: Four more storms might soon hit California, but the drought is far from over
• KCRA – Sacramento: Here’s how much rain is flowing into reservoirs in Northern California
• Washington Post: California is being inundated with rain. Will it ease the drought?
• Bay City News Service: State water officials ‘cautiously optimistic’ that atmospheric river could improve drought conditions 
• Capital Public Radio: What this series of atmospheric rivers says about California’s drought and water future
• NBC4 – Los Angeles: Map: Here’s What Early Winter Storms Meant for California’s Drought
• Western Farm Press: Fast start, but how long will it last? 
• KERO – Bakersfield: Heavy snowpack and recent storms may not translate to more farm water