California Drought-Free for First Time Since 2000, U.S. Drought Monitor Shows

Current drought maps show California is drought-free for the first time in 25 years.

The U.S. Drought Monitor releases weekly maps assessing drought conditions across the country. This week’s map shows no drought conditions anywhere in California.

“This is the first time we have seen that since December of 2000. It’s been quite a while since there’s been no abnormally dry conditions or worse being depicted in the state,” said Brian Fuchs, climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Much of the rest of the country, however, continues to experience abnormally dry or drought conditions.

“When we first saw no drought depicted in California on the week of Dec. 9, there was still about 9% of the state that was abnormally dry. Continued wet patterns have eliminated even that, so now the U.S. Drought Monitor shows no drought and no abnormally dry areas,” Fuchs added.

Michael Anderson, state climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources, said, “This water year, which started Oct. 1, got off to a great start. Regular storms have kept coming through, and in the first quarter of the water year, precipitation reached about 150% of average.”

Meteorologist Kristine Hanson noted that the 2025-2026 season is a La Niña year, which usually brings drier conditions to California. “But this year is an anomaly. Storms have formed off the coast and inundated the state from north to south, providing heavy, steady rainfall,” she said.

The rain has also helped refill reservoirs, with 14 of 17 major reservoirs at 70% or more capacity.

Climatologists caution that these conditions may not last. “California is accustomed to this back-and-forth,” Anderson said. “We’ll see in February and March if continued moisture supports growth cycles before fire season begins.”

Fuchs added, “The next week or so is expected to be fairly dry and warm. Just as quickly as dry conditions are relieved, they could redevelop.”

The Climate Prediction Center projects California will remain drought-free through the end of March, with a monthly update expected next week to assess conditions into spring.