When it comes to drought, California is no longer “exceptional.” Data released Thursday, after recent heavy rains, shows that just 32 percent of California now faces “exceptional drought,” the most severe level of dryness recorded by the U.S. Drought Monitor. The week before, 55 percent of the state was covered by the designation -- an alarming statistic that had held steady since July. Images courtesy of the National Drought Mitigation Center, NOAA and the USDA “The short-term drought is over, particularly in the northern half of the state,” Mark Svoboda, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, told The Huffington Post.