El Niño-fueled rain, snow pump up California's water supply, ease drought

El Niño-fueled rain and snowstorms, including yet another one forecast for this weekend, may mean a let up in the multi-year California drought.

Some of the best news comes from the Sierra Nevada, where the snowpack, the mass of snow on the ground, is 15% ore than normal – more than the drought-stricken state has seen in five years, the California Department of Water Resources said.

The Sierra snowpack contributes nearly a third of California's water when it melts in the spring, the Associated Press said.

In addition to the good snow news, other indicators such as soil moisture, streamflow, and an upward trend in reservoir levels are contributing to a slight improvement in the state's water supply situation, said climatologist Mark Svoboda in this week's U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that tracks drought.

A storm this weekend will bring heavy rain, crashing surf and strong winds to much of coastal California, AccuWeather predicts. Flooding and mudslides are also possible. Heavy snow could hit the Sierra.

But he said the improvements don't mean the region is out of drought. Many of the larger reservoirs in northern California and southern Oregon are still below half of capacity, he said.

Nationally, areas in drought continue to shrink. About 15% of the nation is now in a drought, the lowest percentage since November 2010, the Drought Monitor reported.

The one state where drought is worsening is Hawaii, a typical occurrence in El Niño years. About 97% of the state is either unusually dry or enduring drought conditions.