What a difference a winter can make. On Jan. 1, three-quarters of California was in drought. Just eight weeks later, however, a succession of storms have washed drought conditions away from all but a splotch at the far north edge of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Some of Southern California is still considered abnormally dry, which means there are some lingering water deficits. Considering what the state has been through in recent years, this is good news.