One of the biggest weather stories in recent years is the distinct lack of weather in much of the country—the drought is an ongoing, slow-motion disaster in the western United States, but abnormally dry conditions are starting to spread east. More than half of the United States is suffering from an unusual lack of rainfall, with much of the south and East Coast joining the west in their need for water.

If anyone is eagerly following news of the strengthening El Niño in the Pacific, it’s California. Strong El Niño events have a history of bringing drenching rain to the West Coast during the winter months, and we could see that play out this year. However, don’t get too wrapped-up in the hype—it’s going to take more than one rainy stretch to ease the damage done by the lasting drought.

On Friday, a raging wildfire burned cars stranded on I-15 near Los Angeles while crews battled drones to put out the flames. On Saturday, part of I-10 collapsed as Los Angeles and San Diego recorded the most rain they’ve ever seen during the month of July. Oh, you know, just another weekend.

If it seems like that promising thunderstorm on the horizon will defy the laws of physics to avoid where you live—depriving you of needed rain and soothing thunder—you’re not alone. Even though it seems like won’t stop raining in much of the eastern U.S., many areas are slipping into drought as we head into the middle of the summer.

The recent rains over the southern Plains have been nothing less than spectacular, spawning a constant stream of severe thunderstorms that dumped inches of rain in short time, flooding areas that haven’t seen this much in years. The influx of water finally paid off: only a few small parts of Texas and Oklahoma are still in drought.

As we make our way into the sixth weekend of the year, the weather is getting pretty active on either end of the United States. The west is basking in some much-needed rain, while the northeast is getting ready for yet another snowstorm this weekend, all while residents of Denver are wearing shorts.

Three days after San Francisco went through January without measuring a drop of rain for the first time in 165 years, it looks like a storm system roaring in from the tropics is set to produce immense precipitation on the West Coast over the next seven days. Heavy rain is likely at lower elevations, while mountain peaks could see some hefty snows.

Some good news came out this morning that recent heavy rains have put a noticeable dent in the exceptional drought over parts of California, but the state still needs sustained rainfall (measured in feet, not inches) in order for their water situation to return to normal.

A quick series of storm systems approaching the West Coast from the Pacific will bring some beneficial rainfall to most of California and Oregon over the next week. Populated areas of northern California and western Oregon could see several inches of rain, with more at higher elevations.

While the biggest weather story of the week is undoubtedly the blockbuster snow affecting western New York, there's an equally rare phenomenon occurring on the other side of the country: it's raining in California, and more could come as we head into the winter.

A high resolution satellite image of the thunderstorms that produced historic amounts of rain on the northern Gulf Coast on Tuesday. Pensacola recorded over 15" of rain and Mobile recorded nearly 12". When the storms first began, Mobile Regional Airport recorded rainfall rates of 12 inches per hour for a few minutes.

A major heavy rainfall event across the northern Gulf Coast on Monday night dumped over seven inches of rain in just a couple of hours in the town of Fairhope, Alabama, located on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay.

Heavy rain across much of the country and the potential for a tornado outbreak in parts of the south will make for a crappy start to next week, followed shortly thereafter by a blast of cold air that could be the final gasp of the winter that won't die.

The Weather Prediction Center predicts that up to seven inches of rain could fall across parts of California over the next couple of days, bringing much-needed relief to a state ravaged by drought since the summer of 2011.

A plume of tropical moisture known as an "atmospheric river" streaming across the Pacific Ocean will bring some much-needed rain to parts of the West Coast tonight and tomorrow, but will do little to satiate the exceptional drought that California has experienced for the last few years.