By February 2017 , the state drought percentage returned to levels below that of late 2011 , mainly due to a very wet pattern caused by atmospheric river-enhanced Pacific storms . The wet pattern caused severe flooding . In mid-March 2019 , California was declared totally drought-free , with the exception of a small pocket of " abnormally dry " conditions in Southern California , following a series of powerful Pacific storms during the first few months of the year . This coincided with the U.S. experiencing drought conditions in the fewest parts of the country since 2000
severe flooding
2017 California floods
2011–2017 California drought