Drought Gone, Nagging Down Ever So Slightly

After four straight years of normal-to-wet winters the State of California has finally been declared to be drought-free.

Getting the red (extreme drought) out (Chronicle graphic)

California has fully emerged from drought conditions for the first time since December 2011, and just 7 percent of the state remains abnormally dry, scientists said Thursday.

Rain and snowstorms that slammed the state this winter helped rebuild the snowpack, filled reservoirs and improved soil moisture, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Moderate spring temperatures are helping the snowpack stay intact and avoid early melting.

The main benefit of four years of wet weather, of course, is that there will be plenty of water this summer for everyone, including the farmers. But another benefit is that the nagging might abate slightly from cacophonic caterwauling to continuous clamoring (though you wouldn't know it from last week's demonstrations--see below), as we will gain a reprieve from global-warming-is-why-reservoirs-are-empty scoldings.

Anthropogenic global warming is still to blame for wildfires, floods, and declining fish and wildlife populations, but at least the volume will be turned down ever so slightly