A judge says Southern California’s largest water supplier can move ahead with plans to buy sprawling farmland that could be used to help build twin tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The end of the historic California drought appears increasingly unlikely, at least anytime soon, with new long-range forecasts hinting at a warm, dry winter for much of the state.

The monthly outlook released Thursday by the U.S. Climate Prediction Center cites a 33 percent chance that significantly below-average precipitation will arrive in San Francisco and points south between December and February. The outlook also identifies a higher probability of above-average temperatures in California south of Monterey Bay over the same period.

California’s decision to let local entities regulate how much water people use has residents hoping their bills will get a little more manageable and their yards a little less ugly. Lee Nguyen, a 64-year-old retiree in Irvine, believes she has done her part to help in the five-year drought. She has swapped out the grass on her front lawn with local native plants and cactus to cut down on water use. She’s also started catching rainwater for her garden to stretch the savings even further.