California is the only state in the United States starting 2026 without drought or abnormally dry conditions, after a parade of atmospheric rivers delivered heavy rain and mountain snow early this winter.
However, drought remains a major concern across much of the rest of the West, where snowpack levels are near record lows.
It marks the first time since 2000 that California has been completely free of at least a D1, or moderate, drought anywhere in the state. While there have been brief drought-free periods over the past 25 years, small areas of the Golden State typically remained classified as abnormally dry, the lowest category on the U.S. Drought Monitor's five-level scale.
The U.S. Drought Monitor measures drought by combining data on rainfall, soil moisture, streamflow, snowpack and vegetation with expert input to compare current conditions to normal. It classifies dryness into five categories: abnormally dry (D0), moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional drought (D4), the most severe level.
U.S. drought conditions on January 15, 2025, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
