The state has been deluged by storms this winter, hit by 12 atmospheric rivers that have led to evacuation orders, rising rivers and broken levees. In some parts of the Sierra Nevada, more than 55 feet of snow have fallen. With reservoirs filling up, many Californians are eager to put the severe, 3-year drought behind them. A major water supplier in Southern California recently lifted mandatory conservation rules that limited outdoor watering. Large parts of the state are now free of drought, according to the federal government’s Drought Monitor, which looks at rainfall and soil moisture. But in California, water shortages aren’t just due to a lack of rain, and the state’s chronic water problems are far from over.

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• New York Times: What Does All This Rain Mean for California’s Drought?
• Record Searchlight: As Lake Shasta rises 111 feet to fill to historic level, is California’s drought over?
• Mercury News: Map – See California’s drought nearly disappear in just six months
• KEYT – Santa Barbara: Often-dry Twitchell Reservoir east of Santa Maria filling up to dramatically high level
• NBC: 5 deaths reported in California storms; rare tornado near Los Angeles tears off roofs