Currently — January 13th, 2023
What you need to know, currently.
UPDATED total precipitation for the series of atmospheric rivers that have affected California since December 26, a period of 16 days.
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 11, 2023
In this time California averaged 8.61 inches of precipitation and the San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan statistical area averaged 13.34 inches. pic.twitter.com/Hi4MXB0Who
All the parts of the Great Valley of California are no longer facing Extreme Drought — the second-highest level of drought — like they were just two weeks ago, before the heavy rainfall.
Extreme drought in the state fell from 27.1 percent last week to 0.32 percent, according to the data released by the U.S. Drought Monitor Thursday. Severe drought, the third-highest level, fell from 71 percent to 46 percent.
A portion of California remains in a state of Severe Drought.
The state averaged 8.61 inches of precipitation since Dec. 26, while the San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area averaged 13.34 inches. In fact, from Jan. 9 to Jan. 10, California saw the 3rd wettest one-day period since 2005, by grid total precipitation, according to the National Weather Service’s Prediction Center.
The extreme influx of this rain was contained to west of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, therefore doing little to refill the water levels at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two largest reservoirs in the nation.
It’s important to note that while this latest rain did indeed improve drought conditions these last 16 days, it did not get rid of it completely.
—Aarohi Sheth
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