California is free of drought for the first time in 25 years

https://archive.is/aB3c4

Ironically, the rest of the country is having a drought:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/01/18/winter-dro...

I've lived in California my whole life (and the same town for most of that). This was the most rain I can remember in decades and the most "destruction" I've seen caused by it. Between the ground being saturated and wind before/after/during the storms there were plenty of downed trees.

We were also down to running sprinklers once a week (lawns are silly), but have had them off entirely for a bit now.

Previous CA resident anecdata, I remember droughts being a normal part of life in central CA 1990-early 2000s. Don't run sprinklers during certain hours, odd/even watering, "the water bill" exclaimations, etc. Like another commentor mentioned I don't anticipate this will last, but it's nice to see the "official" state change even if for a bit.

If only we built reservoirs to keep the water for the drought years it would be great news.

As John Steinback said in East of Eden:

“I have spoken of the rich years when the rainfall was plentiful. But there were dry years too, and they put a terror on the valley. The water came in a thirty-year cycle. There would be five or six wet and wonderful years when there might be nineteen to twenty-five inches of rain, and the land would shout with grass. Then would come six or seven pretty good years of twelve to sixteen inches of rain. And then the dry years would come, and sometimes there would be only seven or eight inches of rain. The land dried up and the grasses headed out miserably a few inches high and great bare scabby places appeared in the valley. The live oaks got a crusty look and the sage-brush was gray. The land cracked and the springs dried up and the cattle listlessly nibbled dry twigs. Then the farmers and the ranchers would be filled with disgust for the Salinas Valley. The cows would grow thin and sometimes starve to death. People would have to haul water in barrels to their farms just for drinking. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.”

We are having an unusually dry and sunny winter in PNW.. I wonder if it is related.

strange because this is one of the warmest winters in decades. snow levels are far below normal, i saw 8% of normal in truckee. full reservoirs now are great but keeping them filled depends on a long snow melt going into june. i don’t think this is going to be a good year for that

Groundwater and aquifers still depleted.

I've lived in California for 20 years so this is my first year of non-draught. We've been enjoying the unusual prevalence of greenery in Orange County.

And is the only state with no drought right now. Although they way they figure it is a bit biased -- it's based on how much water there is compared to historical values, so it's easier to be "drought free" if you've been in a drought for a while.

We already know he'll want a prize for that. Anyone has a Nobel for making it rain that usually goes to God?

And yet our water rates are still as if we are in a drought.

People shouldn't really be celebrating anything here. Wet winters just mean that the much more important snowpack isn't happening:

> Recent storms have brought snow to the Sierra Nevada mountains, but the state’s snowpack remains below average. According to the Department of Water Resources, the snowpack now stands at 89% of average for this time of year.

> Much of the West has seen warmer-than-average temperatures and relatively little snow so far this winter. The snow in the Rocky Mountains remains far below average, adding to the strains on the overtapped Colorado River, a major water source for Southern California.

Refilling the reservoirs is nice and all, but this is still essentially a payday loan out of the future.

One of the complexities of global warming is that it makes weather more extreme in all directions. It can be true that the same stretch of ground can be more susceptible to flooding in the same year it's more susceptible to drought.

But its so hot lol

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I had a joke that hit well: "California is in a drought? Who would have thought it doesn't rain in a desert."

The dams in california were built years ago for a smaller population and since then they've only removed them.

If we simply built like the people who first came to california did we would never have water shortages again.

Any water shortage is a 1:1 failure of the state to do the clear and obvious task needed.