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1-in-1000 Chance California’s Drought Will End This Spring

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NOAA/NWS

The National Weather Service has some discouraging news for anyone hoping California’s drought might end soon: the chance of enough rain falling in the next three months to bring the state back up to average precipitation levels is now 1-in-1000. That’s down from the 1-in-200 odds it estimated back in January.

California is experiencing the driest conditions in the state’s history, and Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency on Jan. 17, as reservoir levels approached disturbing lows.

MORE: California’s Farmers Need Water. Is Desalination the Answer?

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