After decades of shortages, water levels in California have recovered thanks to a series of powerful storms that passed through the state this winter.
One of the places where this change has been most visible has been Folsom Lake, which is part of the American River watershed in Northern California.
In early January, the lake reached 100% of its conservation storage levels, the Folsom Times reported. That's around 55% of its total capacity, meaning there was plenty of space to capture additional runoff amid continued wet weather.
"This holiday storm cycle sure delivered the goods, and it feels like a good omen for 2026," the Visit Lake Tahoe agency posted online, according to Gold Mountain California News Media.
While strong winter storms brought rain across the state, higher elevations saw several feet of snow, a boon for skiers and ski resorts.
"Now this is what we're talking about," Boreal Mountain Resort posted, per Gold Mountain California News Media. "It finally feels like the season is fully underway with all this snow we're getting."
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"With 20.6 inches of snow the last day, we are now at our median snowfall for the 2026 water year," Snowlab shared, per Gold Mountain California News Media. "This most recent snowfall puts us back on track for the year."
While the winter storms did cause some issues for locals, including flooding in certain areas, they also allowed the state to reach a milestone that it had not attained in 25 years. In January, not a single portion of the state qualified as being in a drought or abnormally dry.
For residents long accustomed to water-conservation efforts and drought-related water-use restrictions, the milestone came as great news.
The above-average rainfall goes back as far as November, when precipitation reached 400% to 500% above typical levels.
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