Thursday Top of the Scroll: California’s drought has eased significantly due to heavy rains, federal government concludes
A series of atmospheric river storms since Christmas has significantly reduced California’s drought, the federal government concluded Thursday. For the first time in more than two years — since Dec. 1, 2020 — the majority of the state is no longer in a severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly report put out by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Overall, 46% of California’s land area remains in severe drought, the report found, a dramatic improvement over the past month, when it was 85% on Dec. 6.
Related articles:
- CalMatters: Is California’s drought over? Here’s what you need to know
- New York Times: Will Storms End California’s Drought? That May Be the Wrong Question
- Associated Press: After the recent California storms, how much will the rain help the state’s long-term drought?
- Los Angeles Times: California suddenly has so much snow. A ‘great elixir for drought’ but unlikely the cure
- Berkeleyside: Reservoirs serving Berkeley, Oakland are filling up after consistent rain
- Reuters: Explainer - Why weeks of rain in California will not end historic drought
- The Week: What climate change means for California