See how drenched California is — and why it would take multiple years like this to erase drought

California has been slammed by torrential rains and colossal snowfall since late last year, which has helped pull nearly two thirds of the state out of drought conditions. 

In fact, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of March 16, only 36% of the state of California is in a drought, compared with the Jan. 1 mark of 100%.

And looking ahead, "it seems as though most of the surface water drought – drought involving streams and reservoirs – could be eliminated by summer in California," said Dan McEvoy, a drought and water researcher at the Desert Research Institute’s Western Regional Climate Center.

Rain and snow will help replenish the drought-depleted water system

Eleven atmospheric river storms, which started in late December, have pounded California with record amounts of rain and snow. 

For example, as of March 13, season-to-date snowfall at the Central Sierra Snow Lab at California’s Donner Pass exceeded 650 inches, compared with a normal full-season total of about 360 inches, the Drought Monitor said.

Drought conditions ease after winter storms

Winter precipitation wiped out exceptional and extreme drought in California for the first time since 2020.

“Clearly the amount of water that’s fallen this year has greatly alleviated the drought,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “It has not ended the drought completely, but we’re in a very different place than we were a year ago.”

Where does California's water come from?

California's water comes from a mix of sources, including snowpack, reservoirs and groundwater.

Though winter storms have helped the state's snowpack and reservoirs, groundwater basins are much slower to recover, according to California's Department of Water Resources. Many rural areas are still experiencing water supply challenges, especially communities that rely on groundwater supplies that have been depleted because of the prolonged drought.

It will take more than a single wet year for groundwater levels to substantially improve at a statewide scale, the department said in a news release.

According to a recent study, after a drought, rainfall must have time to flow through the soil and restore the depleted aquifer before groundwater levels can return to normal. The researchers have determined this can take up to average of three years.

Contributing: The Associated Press