Less than 90% of California in drought for 1st time in 3 years

California's devastating 4-year-old drought showed signs Thursday of easing its grip on the nation's most populous state — if only a little.

For the first time in three years, less than 90% of California is in drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that tracks the dry conditions, reported. The decrease may not sound like a lot, but it's still welcome news for the state's 38 million residents dealing with widespread water restrictions, which could soon be amended.

The dip is largely due to El Niño, a natural warming of the Pacific Ocean that impacts weather around the globe and typically brings wetter conditions to the West Coast. Currently, 89.68% of the state is in a drought, down from a high of 100% in October 2014. Only 21% is in "exceptional drought," the worst level, down from a high of 58% from August to October 2014.

The last time the state dipped below 90% was April 30, 2013, when 64% of California was experiencing drought conditions.

This winter's El Niño-fueled storms also upped water levels in all three of northern California's major reservoirs — Shasta Reservoir, Lake Oroville and Folsom Lake —to above average, the first time that's happened in three years, the state's Department of Water Resources reported Wednesday. The reservoirs, which fill up with melted snow, supply water to many of the state's cities and are also crucial to agriculture.

The California State Water Board held an informational workshop in late April to discuss changing water conservation measures now that the state's drought level is easing, weather.com reported. Drought emergency regulations — such as forcing residents to take shorter showers and stop watering their lawns — could be relaxed later this month by Gov. Jerry Brown, who put the rules in place last year.

The latest El Niño pattern, once the strongest on record, has waned in recent months. Now, recent Climate Prediction Center forecasts suggest an increasing chance of La Niña during the second half of the year.

That could exacerbate lingering drought conditions next winter since the weather phenomenon tends to produce below-average precipitation in California.