[dredmorbius]

Keep in mind that "drought" can be highly relative and short-term.

For regions which have historically experienced frequent (e.g., daily or weekly) rainfall, even a few days or weeks with no or limited precipitation can induce stress on ecological communities. Deluge / drought patterns (see California's long-term drought and this past rain season's endless atmospheric river storms) actually compound the problem.

Looking at long-term averages alone may well mask this effect and its significance.