Drought

Californians have seen several rounds of bitter winter storms pummel the state since late December. Though those storms have led to flooding, blizzards and landslides, they've also brought much-needed rain and snow to a state plagued by persistent drought.

January’s rains flooded farm fields and orchards. Many California farmworkers lost weeks of pay. Advocates say the state should help them weather such crises. A leading proposal would pay $300 a week to undocumented workers.

The permits, also called Emergency Use permits, allow users like farmers and ranchers who don’t have groundwater rights to access that water during an emergency drought declaration when above-ground sources, like rivers and lakes, are too low.

Communities still have dry wells. Restoring groundwater takes decades, with costly, long-term replenishment projects — and ultimately, much less pumping.

Despite a federal deadline Tuesday, California — the largest user of Colorado River water — has refused to cut back as much as six other states proposed in a new plan today. Imperial Valley growers have the most to lose.

Snowpack remains above average in southern Oregon, an area that needs it the most

California’s recent storms have brought record amounts of precipitation but have also revived a perennial debate at the state Capitol over water storage and management.

Since late December, a series of storms had dropped a year's worth of rain in just a few weeks, causing widespread floods and power outages. At least 19 people have died as a result of the storms.

After a brief respite, a new round of heavy rains and wind gusts are lashing the state, forcing evacuations and knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes.

Decades-old rules mean most reservoirs aren't allowed to fill up in the winter. A new approach using weather forecasts is helping some save more water to help with California's drought.

Oregon needs a lot more precipitation to avoid deepening drought. That’s the conclusion of experts at a recent meeting of the Pacific Northwest Drought Early Warning System.

Wildfires and a Western megadrought led to a historic die-off of evergreen trees in the state — nearly twice as bad as the previous worst year. Some researchers have dubbed it "firmageddon."