For the first time in five months, a majority of California is no longer considered to be in an exceptional drought, the most severe level possible under federal guidelines, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The change was due to a bout of recent wet weather and ample runoff that raised reservoir levels in most of northern and central California, according to the report.
While Northern California received most of the rain, Pacific Palisades received about 3.29 inches in December, according to Weather Underground.
The maximum precipitation level for the month of December in the Palisades was 1.33 inches. But despite the rain, California still needs more rain to climb out of its extreme drought conditions, the report found.
California must experience three seasons of above-average rainfall to get back to a “manageable situation,” Jay Famiglietti, senior water cycle scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, said in remarks reported by The Los Angeles Times.
The entire state remains in some degree of drought and about 78 percent is in “extreme” drought, the second-highest category there is, the report said, according to The Times. In addition, the state’s major reservoir capacities are still below normal.
STAFF and WIRE SERVICES
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