Drought dwindles to less than 9% of California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Only remnants of California’s three-year drought remain after winter’s epic storms.

The U.S. Drought Monitor reported Thursday that areas of drought cover less than 9% of the state, down from more than 99% at the Oct. 1 start of the water year.

Those areas, in the far north and southeast, are surrounded by areas of abnormal dryness amounting to just over 25% of the state.

California’s winter was marked by numerous atmospheric rivers that dumped enormous amounts of rain and blanketed mountains with an extraordinary snowpack.