Yes, all the rain from last week’s storm got us out of the most extreme drought category.

A series of storms last month has pulled most of SoCal out of the extreme drought category. Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties all saw significant improvements in December, according to the latest maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Nearly all of Los Angeles and Ventura counties are out of the “extreme” drought category, much of San Bernadino is in the serious category and all of Orange County is in the “moderate” category,” as is most of Riverside County. According to the National Weather Service, California has already received more rain in the first three months of the water year than all of the 2020-2021 period. California’s water year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.