Currently — November 9, 2023: California is drought-free

The weather, currently.

According to the latest US drought monitor, California is now entirely drought-free for the first time since early 2020 — thanks to a series of beneficial rains brought in part by Hurricane Hilary and a growing El Niño.

Almost every major lake and reservoir in the state is currently filled higher than normal — a rarity for California in this era of megadrought. Some areas of the Sierra Nevada mountain range are more than 20 inches ahead in 2023 alone. The state also made it through peak wildfire season with hardly any major threats, thanks mostly to the wet soil.

In fact, state officials have begun to release extra capacity from California reservoirs to hold heavy rains that might come with El Niño this winter. The first potential atmospheric river of the season could arrive as early as this weekend.

— Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

While we’re gearing up for some exciting announcements next week(!!), a quick shout out to all of Currently’s local weather newsletter writers — they cover the weather daily with charm and loads of regional weather knowledge.

Currently has begun to partner with other like-minded newsletters to help the growth of independent climate media — we receive financial support for each new subscriber we can recruit, so check them out!