Only 579,100 Californians live in drought conditions after historic November rains, down 96% from 13.3 million in just two weeks
Following a late-November deluge, the number of residents living in drought zones has dropped by nearly 93% in seven days.
The hydrological U-turn in California has accelerated into a near-total collapse of drought conditions across the state’s most populous regions.
Just one week after we reported that 8.2 million Californians were living in drought, new data released this weekend indicates that number has fallen to approximately 579,100. This represents a staggering 92.9% reduction in the drought-affected population in a single week.
According to the latest figures from the U.S. Drought Monitor, valid as of November 25, 2025, the storms that battered the coast over the holiday week successfully breached the "dry line" that had previously separated Northern and Southern California.
Mac Douglass | Editor
A Statewide Soak
The previous update noted a sharp divide: Northern California was wet, while Southern California remained abnormally dry. The latest data confirms that the storm systems mentioned in our last report made a direct impact on the south.
As shown in the updated U.S. Drought Monitor Map, the drought footprint (categories D1–D4) has shrunk to just 6.5% of the state’s total land area, down from 14.86% last week.
Crucially, the improvement centered on the densely populated coastal plains. The "Abnormally Dry" (Yellow/D0) designation was wiped from the map across much of the Los Angeles and San Diego basins, effectively removing millions of residents from the drought census overnight.
Short-Term Saturation vs. Long-Term Deficits
The Short-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index is dominated by cool colors (blues and cyans), indicating a high level of surface moisture saturation across the Central Valley and Southern California following the November storms. In contrast, the Long-Term Index shows that deep soil moisture deficits (indicated in yellow, orange, and red) persist in the southeastern desert regions and along the Arizona border despite recent rainfall.
The intensity of the recent storms is best visualized by the Short-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index. The map is almost entirely awash in blues and cyans, indicating wet to very wet conditions across nearly the entire state surface, penetrating even into the usually arid southeastern deserts.
However, a look at the Long-Term Index provides a necessary reality check. While the immediate surface moisture is high, long-term deficits persist in the southeastern border regions (Imperial and Riverside counties), where deep red signals indicate the land has not yet fully recovered from the drier-than-average start to the year.
Historical Context
The sheer volume of water that fell in November has significantly altered the statistical landscape for the year.
- October Surge: Data confirms this was the 30th wettest October since records began in 1895, providing a crucial "priming of the pump" for the November storms.
- Annual Recovery: Despite the wet autumn, the state is still fighting an uphill battle against earlier dryness. The period from January to October ranks as the 56th driest on record, reminding us that while the drought emergency has faded, water conservation remains a prudent long-term strategy.
Summary of Current Conditions
- Total Population in Drought: ~579,100 (Down from 8.2 million).
- Severe Drought (D2): 0.2% of the state (Virtual elimination).
- Moderate Drought (D1): 6.4% of the state (Confined mostly to the Mojave Desert and borderlands).
- Abnormally Dry (D0): 12.5% of the state.
As we head into December, the narrative has shifted from crisis management to reservoir management. With the vast majority of the population no longer living under immediate drought conditions, the focus now turns to the Sierra snowpack and ensuring this early bounty is preserved for the months ahead.
