California’s drought continues to ease, with more wet weather helping to fill reservoirs and contributing to a mounting snowpack in the Sierra Nevada – but it has also led to emergency declarations in some areas. As of Jan. 26, the snow water equivalent statewide for the Sierra snowpack is 189 percent of average for this time of year and already over 100 percent of the April 1 average. The U.S. Drought Monitor for this week reports that the northern half of California is now out of drought and no parts of the state were designated as experiencing “exceptional drought” – the most severe designation.