Roughly Half of California is Drought Free, Report Shows

Record storms bringing rain and snow in recent weeks to California has lifted nearly half of the state out of drought, federal scientists reported.

Overall, 49 percent of the state is now considered drought free, the highest level since April 2013, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

“We’re finally seeing enough precipitation falling to make a significant dent,” Richard Tinker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service who compiled the report, told The Mercury News.

In Thursday’s report, the entire northern half of California, including the Sierra Nevada south of Lake Tahoe, was classified as drought-free.

None of the state remains in the worst drought category known as "exceptional," however drought conditions persist in the southern and central portions of the state, the U.S. Drought Monitor said.

Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Barbara Counties saw the wettest week in seven years last week when series of powerful winter storms brought 5 inches of rain to the Southland.

The Bay Area is seeing its wettest January since 1998, according to the National Weather Service.