Thanks to recent rainy weather, the California drought outlook has improved.

◼ Drought recedes a bit as another storm moves in - SF Chronicle

The improved outlook was the result of the recent storms, including last Thursday’s whopper that prompted flooding around the Bay Area.

This rainy season, San Francisco has received 13.6 inches of rain. That’s almost 7 inches above average for this period of time, according to (Diana Henderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Monterey).

◼ California drought: Feds forecast good chance of wet conditions for next three months - Mercury News

There is a 75 percent probability of average or above-average precipitation between January and the end of March for California, according to a new report by federal scientists -- the first time in five years such a wet outlook has been predicted in the state during the first three months of a year.

"This is good news," said Steve Baxter, a seasonal forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which issued the report on Thursday predicting that the harsh reality of California's historic drought may finally be giving way to wetter days ahead.