California Experiences Significant Reduction in Drought Intensity After Weeks of Rain and Snow

California has seen a significant reduction in drought intensity in the past several weeks, according to the US Drought Monitor’s latest report. This is due to the recent weeks of rain and snow, which has helped to alleviate the state’s historic drought that has caused dire water shortages.

The extreme drought designation, the second-highest on the drought monitor scale, has nearly disappeared. This is according to the weekly analysis published Thursday, which used a calculation method that has been touted by the Farmer’s Almanac, as well as a determination from the National Weather Prediction Center that estimated the entire state received an average of 8.61 inches of water during that period.

For weeks, California has faced a barrage of fatal storms that have caused roads to partially collapse, neighborhoods to flood and thousands to evacuate. According to calculations, at least 24.5 trillion gallons of water have been dumped in the 16 days since the storm series began on Dec. 26. This is a stark contrast to two weeks ago, when more than one-third of California was in this extreme drought category.

The drought is not over for the state, however. Despite the epic rain and snow, California is still in a drought, and the US Drought Monitor’s report states that the state is still in a “severe” drought. The state will need to continue to receive rain and snow in order to further reduce the drought intensity.