California drought update: Winter storm lifts regions out of drought

Information released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows large parts of California are now officially out of an ongoing drought, and other regions are significantly improved.

Thursday's updated drought status is the result of the massive storm system that dumped snow and rain across the state for days.  Previously, all of California had been in a drought, with 40% of the state in an "extreme" or "exceptional" drought, according to the Drought Monitor.  

North-central California including the majority of Sierra Nevada; coastline from Monterey Bay to northwest Los Angeles County; and parts of northwest California including Humboldt and Del Norte counties are officially out of drought categorization.

A large portion of the middle of the state is now categorized as "abnormally dry." Northeast California and the high desert of southeastern California remain in the "severe drought" category. Some regions are in the "moderate drought" category.

In January, Southern California officially moved out of the "extreme" drought category following a round of storms.