Twelve-percent of California is now in the highest drought stage. For the first time since the record storms back in December, a portion of the State has fallen into exceptional drought, the worst level on the drought scale. Twelve-percent of California, mostly in the Central Valley, is in the highest drought level, and another 48-percent is in the second highest category, extreme drought. Only two counties, covering two and a half percent of the State, are in moderate drought status, Del Norte and San Diego Counties.