In a further sign of the easing of California’s drought, farms and cities that rely on the State Water Project learned Thursday that they will receive an estimated 45 percent of what they requested this year.

Just three weeks ago, the SWP’s estimated allocation for 2016 was 30 percent. The allocation for 2015 was 20 percent. The state Department of Water Resources said the increased allocation reflects the healthy winter rains and snow, which have raised the project’s largest reservoir, at Oroville, to 5 percent above its historic average level for this time of year. Other key reservoirs, including San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, are still woefully low.