California Drought Eliminated by Hurricane Hilary

Tropical Storm Hilary brought flash floods, heavy rains and even changed the landscape of some desert communities in California, but there's also good news after the storm.

The storm landed in California on Sunday after hitting the Mexican peninsula of Baja California over the weekend. The storm caused substantial flooding in Los Angeles before moving further inland, where overwhelming flooding hit the desert city of Palm Springs. Death Valley National Park—which usually receives about one inch of rain per year—closed Sunday due to flooding.

Not only did the storm supplement drought-parched reservoirs like Lake Mead in Nevada, it also almost eliminated California's drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor Map showed that more than 93 percent of California is now free from drought, a nearly 20 percent increase over last week. The map is released each Thursday, meaning this is the first time Hilary's impact can be seen. The most recent drought map includes data through August 22.

California has battled a years-long drought that severely depleted the state's reservoirs and spurred wildfire risk by providing ample amounts of dry fuel. Above-average precipitation in the winter, including 14 atmospheric rivers that pummeled the state with rain, drastically changed the situation.

As spring arrived, some areas still battled drought, specifically in southern California, which received the brunt of Hilary's rainfall, improving drought conditions for the region.

Now, only 1.38 percent of the state is experiencing moderate drought, which the U.S. Geological Survey described as stunting pasture growth and causing landscaping and gardens to require earlier irrigation. Regions experiencing the drought are the northwestern tip of Del Norte County in northern California and the southeastern tip of San Bernardino County and an eastern swath of Riverside County, both in southern California.

There are five classifications of drought—abnormally dry, moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought and exceptional drought. Six percent of the state is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, mostly the northern and southeastern parts. Abnormally dry conditions can stunt crop germination.

Newsweek reached out to AccuWeather by email for comment.

The drought monitor map told a radically different story this time last year when none of California was free from drought and 16.5 percent battled exceptional drought. Exceptional drought is the most severe classification on the map that can cause exceptional and widespread crop losses, fallowed fields, extensive wildfires, poor air quality and widespread water shortages.

The last time California was almost entirely free from drought in late August was in 2019.