It comes as no surprise to anyone living in Southern California that the drought is still going strong in the region, and forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that will likely continue through the spring and summer.
NOAA's annual spring outlook predicts above-average precipitation in parts of California, like the Central Valley, but not in the south. Overall, temperatures are expected to be warmer than average as El Niño's effects wane.
Still, the wet winter in parts of the state has helped ease drought conditions to the north and left water resources more "favorable" than they have been since 2011, said Rob Hartman, the hydrologist in charge of NOAA's California Nevada River Forecast Center.
"The last two weeks have really gone a long ways towards brightening that picture with some significant winter storms that have arrived," he said of recent rains in Northern California.