A Very Wet Winter Has Eased California’s Drought, but Water Woes Remain

The recent onslaught of precipitation has flooded highways, broken levees and knocked out power for tens of thousands of utility customers, inflicting widespread destruction on Californians still weary from the back-to-back atmospheric river storms that pummeled the state in January. The deluges have also had another effect: replenishing reservoirs and building up snowpack, which has improved drought conditions across much of the state. This week, the U.S. Drought Monitor noted “broad reductions in drought coverage and intensity” across California and neighboring areas. But long-term concerns remain in a state where years of aridity, rising temperatures and unsustainable water use have left their mark, experts say.

tips

ease：安乐，悠闲

woe：悲哀，苦痛

onslaught：突击，猛击

precipitation：降水（precipitate 沉淀物；猛抛，使沉淀，猛地落下）

levee：大坝

utility：公共事业

inflict：使承受

destruction：自毁

weary：使疲倦

back-to-back：背靠背，形容连续的

atmospheric storm：大气暴风雨

pummel：打，击

deluge：洪水，泛滥

replenish：把...重新补足

reservoir：水库

snowpack：积雪

broad：广泛的

coverage：覆盖范围

intensity：紧张，程度

aridity：干旱

unsustainable：不稳定的（sustainable 足可支撑的）