This past winter season, California has seen a tremendous amount of precipitation.  For a state that has been in a deep drought for over five years, this is a deep breath of fresh air.  Not only does it help our ecosystem, but it is also simply nice to see it rain as often as it has these past few months.

According to the California Water Science Center, in order to determine where California is in terms of the drought, one has to consider three different water sources: surface water, snowpack, and groundwater.  Surface water is the water found in lakes, rivers, streams, etc.  Recent measurements have shown that surface water levels are higher than usual and are in great condition.  Snowpack is the amount of snow in mountains, mainly the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.  This is important because California gets a lot of its water from runoff when the snow melts during the spring and summer.  In January 2017, a couple of huge storms hit the mountains and the snow levels are nearly double the average amount.  Groundwater is the most important of the three sources, and it is also the most difficult to remedy.  Unlike surface water and snowpack which can be remedied with just a few days of heavy precipitation, groundwater levels can take years to recover from a drought.  As of now, the groundwater situation in California has not seen much change.  It will take a few months to gain a better understanding of the outlook on the drought.  For now, it seems like the situation has taken a turn for the better, but the road to recovery is long.

The logistical aspect of the rain is great, but what might be more important is the effect the rain has on people, specifically students on campus.  Daniel Choi (10) says that “the frequent showers that began to come really made [him] happy.”  For people in SoCal, rain has been an extremely rare sighting for the past few years, and many people savor and love it.  Rain has become glorified.  While in other parts of the world it rains almost every day, California sees so little precipitation that it has become almost an object of worship.  “I really do like rain…and it was nice to have some in the past months,” states Daniel.  AJ Song (10) agrees with Daniel, saying that he “personally enjoys [the rain] and [he] loves being wet.”  While rain might have a negative and sad connotation, in California it makes people extremely happy and creates a positive vibe.
The recent rain in California has been welcome and refreshing.  The state-wide drought has taken a turn for the better.  In addition, people all over the state, including at YLHS students, have taken a strong positive outlook on the rain and look forward to more in the future.