California's Drought Improves Significantly After Winter Storms.

Almost two-thirds of California is now out of drought, with the entire central part of the state clear of drought. The National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, released a map showing that just 8% of the state remains in severe drought, and none of it is in the extreme or exceptional categories. The federal Climate Prediction Center expects above-average precipitation in California next week, and more storms appear to be on the way. However, key reservoirs in the Colorado River Basin remain at record lows.