No Drought Risk After Wet Winter

There's a big benefit to all the rain we had a few weeks back: come summer, we'll have plenty to drink. In fact, we may not have any water shortages at all this year.

That's good news for California's agriculture industry, which relies on water reserves to irrigate crops in the otherwise-barren Central Valley. In past years, meager rainfall caused hardships across the state, with farmers sucking nearby rivers down to dangerously low levels.

But with an excess of water this year, farmers may have so breathing room, and might be able to plant more water-intensive crops, according to the Gate.

It's good news for cities, too, which are expected to get nearly all the water they need this year. In past years, some municipalities have had to ration water due to shortages.

When they checked snow levels last month, officials found levels that are double the average. Melting snow is one of the state's primary sources of water during summer months.

It's impossible to say exactly how healthy California's water supply will be until after February and March. Meteorologists are expecting that precipitation will be particularly unpredictable this year.