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U.S. NEWS Friday 15 March 2019

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Wet winter ends California drought after 376 straight weeks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cali- Administration. Mountains east of Los An-
fornia is free of drought for "The state had experienced geles, and state transporta-
the first time in more than some form of drought for tion officials said this week
seven years and only a 376 consecutive weeks," they expect the routes to
small amount of its territory the center tweeted. remain closed for four more
remains abnormally dry The state came close to be- months.
as a very wet winter winds ing drought-free in soggy Yosemite National Park an-
down, experts said Thurs- 2017 when it was whittled nounced there will be late
day. down to less than 9 percent seasonal openings of facili-
More than 93 percent of of the state and then-Gov. ties because of extensive
the state is free of drought Jerry Brown lifted an emer- damage from the excep-
or dryness, and areas of gency declaration intend- tionally heavy snowpack.
abnormal dryness along ed to conserve water. The park also said rivers
the Oregon border and in But since then paltry pre- and streams are expected In this photo released Wednesday, March 13, 2019, by the
parts of four southern coun- cipitation had raised con- to swell when snowmelt National Park Service, is a damaged building after the recent
ties amount to less than 7 cern about the water sup- begins, posing hazards to heavy snowpack in Yosemite National Park, Calif.
Associated Press
percent of the state, the ply and a rethinking of how visitors.q
U.S. Drought Monitor said in it is used, especially for
its weekly update. landscaping.
The conditions in the far The change this year has
south are because of very been dramatic. On Jan. 1,
dry prior years, the moni- more than 75 percent of
tor said, noting reservoirs in California was in some level
San Diego County are at of drought and less than 8
only 65 percent of capac- percent was entirely free.
ity. Abnormal dryness de- Storms since have been
scribes an area either en- a boon to water supplies
tering drought or emerging as well as skiers and snow-
from it, but below the four boarders as the snowpack
tiers of drought. deepened in the Sierra Ne-
California is drought-free vada and in other ranges,
for the first time since Dec. but they have also brought
20, 2011, said the National problems including river
Drought Mitigation Center flooding that swamped
at the University of Nebras- much of the Sonoma
ka-Lincoln, which jointly County wine country town
produces the monitor with of Guerneville.
the U.S. Department of Ag- Heavy downpours caused
riculture and the National millions in damage to high-
Oceanic and Atmospheric ways in the San Jacinto