LOS ANGELES — California’s remarkably wet winter has helped ease drought conditions considerably, with large swaths of the state — including the coast of Humboldt County, much of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada and the Santa Monica Mountains north of Malibu — no longer considered to be in drought, according to federal officials.
The latest estimate from the U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday, shows almost 17% of the Golden State has exited drought conditions completely, with another 34% now classified as “abnormally dry.” That means less than half of the state remains under drought conditions, which range from moderate to exceptional drought, according to the monitor.
“It’s pretty amazing, the changes, not only over the past week but going back to December of 2022,” said Brad Pugh, one of the authors of the Drought Monitor. At the end of last year, no part of the state was classified as out of drought and less than 1% was considered abnormally dry.
