Dry spells come and go in California, where the difference between a wet and dry year often depends on how much precipitation the state gets from just a few storms during winter. During the period of recorded water history, California’s most significant statewide droughts were 1929-34, 1976-77, 1987-1992, 2007-09 and the current five-year drought, according to the state department of water resources. The 2007-09 drought was was the first for which a statewide emergency was declared.