"To be exact, the last time the report had California at 100% drought-free was the week of Dec. 26, 2000, when Tom Hanks' "Castaway" was packing movie theaters, Bill Clinton was president and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was celebrating his 1st birthday. But the drought-free designation - which has made breathless headlines all week - could be a misleading if not viewed in the right context, experts said Thursday."
"In 2017, soaking storms led to flooding that caused $100 million in damage in downtown San Jose and the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people when the spillway at Oroville Dam, the nation's tallest dam, in Butte County partially collapsed under torrents of raging water. On Thursday, the statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack was at 80% of its historical average. This week in 2023, it was at 247% of normal."
California is classified 100% drought-free by the U.S. Drought Monitor for the first time since late December 2000. The designation does not equate to the wettest period in 25 years; wetter episodes occurred, including damaging 2017 storms that caused $100 million in San Jose and a partial Oroville Dam spillway collapse with nearly 200,000 evacuations. The statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack is 80% of average this week versus 247% in 2023. The state has reached 98–99% drought-free several times (2005, 2011, 2024). Three consecutive wet winters, reservoirs at or above historical averages, and broadly distributed precipitation explain the current rating.
Read at The Mercury News
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