In today’s least surprising news, the drought is officially over in Concord.

But you might be surprised to hear that much of the state is still considered “abnormally dry.”

The weekly drought monitor from the National Weather Service shows that a month of heavy rains in the southern half of the state – up to twice the average for this period – has removed the last vestiges of drought from most of Merrimack, Cheshire and Sullivan counties and parts of neighboring counties.

The drought began late last summer and accelerated during the fall,  which saw near-record low precipitation, followed by a very dry start to winter. 

NWS grades drought with five levels, from  “abnormally dry” to “exceptional drought.” The scale is a function not only of accumulated precipitation but also of soil moisture and a few other factors. Large parts of New Hampshire were in “severe drought” last December.

Things began to change in February, which saw almost 20 inches of snow, and picked up when rains began in April. They have hardly stopped since.

Despite the rain, the Seacoast area and the White Mountains are still “abnormally dry” while portions of Carroll County are in the next level of dryness, “moderate drought.” Eastern Massachusetts and southeastern Maine also are still in moderate drought.

It’s unclear how the drought monitor will be affected by the Trump administration’s sharp cuts to the budget of the National Weather Service. NWS and its parent NOAA have already had to reduce or eliminate a number of weather- and climate-monitoring services.