In Brief: California’s megadrought isn’t one, if precipitation is the only guide

A look at rain and snowfall in California, which is subject to extreme drought, extreme rainfall and extreme snows, indicates that precipitation actually is average in recent years, and the state is actually less dry now than it was during the Great Dust Bowl.

Researchers say it is only when soil moisture, temperature, humidity and tree rings are analyzed that a drought pattern begins to emerge. “Basically, we had the wettest multi-decadal period followed by the second-driest multi-decadal period back to back,” one researcher told the Los Angeles Times. “That’s an eye-opening roller coaster.” Read more here.

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