Looking beyond that, how about another atmospheric river to go atop the 20-plus that already have struck the state?

Once this winter ends — if it ever does — we can get an assessment of what an amazing run it’s been. Consider just one pinpoint on the map: Squaw Valley ski resort, where this season’s snowfall measures an astounding 618 inches (better than one-third above its annual average) and the current base is around 220 inches. An Independence Day skiing holiday, anyone?

In another corner of the state — near Lake Elsinore, on the opposite side of the Santa Ana Mountains from Orange County — rainfall has produced a “super bloom” of wildflowers that are getting loved to death by a super-stampede of tourists.

Looking at the big picture, it doesn’t get much bigger than having one wet winter (and two in the past three years) end the drought everywhere in California. After all, this is one of the world’s most important hubs of agriculture, so water is precious — and had been in short supply.

The U.S. Drought Monitor declared the state drought-free last week for the first time since 2011.

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This cold, upper-level low is carrying enough instability for thunderstorms — boosted by the angle of the mid-March sun. In the San Joaquin Valley, the National Weather Service has given a heads-up on the potential for small hail, funnel clouds and lightning strikes.