Photos show dramatic transformation as California's drought is BUSTED by rains of Biblical proportions

Rain fills rivers and reservoirs across Northern California.

For five years, California has suffered through record-busting drought that has alarmed planners. Now, the state may be emerging from the drought as epic rains follow epic heat.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- A few years ago, it was difficult to ascertain if it was January in California. For parts of the state saw virtually no rain the entire month, an unprecedented occurrence. The drought saw wells run dry, leaving entire communities without any water at all, forced to rely on trucked supplies like third world villages. Yards turned brown across the state as people watering lawns were slapped with fines.

But now, there is talk of the drought being at an end, at least in Northern California, where atmospheric rivers of rain have been dumped on the state, causing epic flooding. At the same time, the southern portion of the state remains dry, largely deprived of the refreshing rain that is falling in abundance in Northern California.

For several years, forecasters predicted California would not escape the impact of the massive drought which saw many reservoirs drain to nothing. Filling these basins would take several years of good rain, they predicted. Drought would be the norm in California for several years to come. State planners were encouraged to look at building new dams and to implement new long-term strategies to preserve water supplies.

However, 2015-16 was an El Nino year, and much of the state enjoyed above average rainfall. This was enough to partially fill lakes and reservoirs, but it did not end the drought. Some water restrictions were lifted, but people were advised to expect a quick return to conservation. But now, the early winter of 2016 has turned out to be unusually wet.

The culprit are atmospheric rivers, or something Californian's refer to as the "pineapple express." Under certain conditions, a band of the jet stream can split from its parent and dip south. When that band encounters tropical moisture in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands, it rapidly transports the rain in a 250 mile wide atmospheric river which can contain more than fifteen times the water of the Mississippi. 

That water is then dumped over Central or Northern California, depending on the conditions.

Such storms happen in the winter, but they are uncommon. But this year, California has seen the event repeat several times over, delivering extreme amounts of rain to the northern half of the state.

In Northern California, widespread flooding has destroyed homes. In the mountains near Donner Pass, walls of snow flank the freeway. Mudslides and rockslides have closed roads across the state.

Despite the damage and the chaos, most Californians are grateful for the rain. The agricultural heartland of the state requires the rain and water to create jobs and grow food for the rest of the country. Good snowpack in the Sierras is essential to keeping the southern half of the state watered during the summer.

For now, California's drought is partially busted. Drought conditions persist in Southern California, but in the north, it's over, for now.

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