FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — In a state usually known for its drought, California is now marking a milestone: For the first time in 25 years, the U.S. Drought Monitor reports not a single square mile of dryness.<\/p>\n
“Certainly off to a strong start with the water year 2026,” State Climatologist Dr. Michael Anderson told Action News.<\/p>\n
The classification follows powerful storms late last year that dumped rain across the Valley and much of the state. It filled reservoirs.<\/p>\n
“We’ve recovered the storage that we spent last year,” Anderson said. “So the bank account or water account, in this case, with the reservoirs, is back up to where we want it to be.”<\/p>\n
RELATED: California has zero areas of dryness for 1st time in 25 years: Drought Monitor<\/a><\/p>\n California went drought-free in 2023, but still had “abnormally dry areas.”<\/p>\n This time around, those spots are gone. The map shows there is no dryness anywhere, labeling it as an “exceptionally wet period.”<\/p>\n “Our demands are really stressing the available supplies,” the Fresno Irrigation District’s Adam Claes said. “You almost have to plan out every year.”<\/p>\n Claes is still urging caution, saying water remains a stressed resource. The above-average rain that pushed the state out of drought has not meant above-average snowfall.<\/p>\n “When it warms up, that snow melts and fills our rivers and reservoirs and canals to deliver water to our farmers and cities throughout the state,” Claes said.<\/p>\n Last week, the year’s first survey revealed snowpack at 71 percent of the state’s average. It could fall further with the weeks ahead likely to remain dry.<\/p>\n “In what’s one of our wettest months out of the year, we’re going to take a couple of weeks off from precipitation,” Anderson said. “So you see a little bit of sliding backwards again.”<\/p>\n Even as the state breaks through the drought on paper, the concern at the tap remains.<\/p>\n “I would say, as a California way of life, we need to be very conscious of how much water we use and how we use it,” Claes said.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Gabe Ferris on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n