News Media #Fail: Storms DID Ease California's Historic Drought. But Erasing it Could Take Years

Two views of California captured by NASA's Terra satellite use false color to differentiate between clouds (whitish) and snow (orange-red). The first image was acquired on Nov. 25, 2014, before two storms hit California. The second is from Dec. 13th, after the second storm. (Images: NASA. Animation: Tom Yulsman) If you've been following news reports about California's epic drought in the aftermath of the recent storms there, it would be understandable if you've found yourself perplexed. "Finally, Some Good News In The California Drought" read the headline in Huffington Post. "Flood-Causing Deluge Amounts to Just Drops in California Drought" proclaimed the New York Times' glass-almost-empty headline: Refilling the glass a bit, the San Jose Mercury News stuck to reporting facts: "Winter storms finally starting to boost storage levels in key reservoirs". Meanwhile, Wired, like the Times, spun the story gloomily : "Think California’s Huge Storm Will End the Drought? Think ...