The ongoing drought in the U.S. West is expected to persist through this summer, raising the risk of water shortages and wildfires.
The ongoing drought in the U.S. West is expected to persist through this summer, raising the risk of water shortages and wildfires. While California, Arizona, and New Mexico are now facing the brunt of the drought, new research suggests that Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming will increasingly come to look like the Southwest as temperatures continue to rise.
In its latest seasonal outlook, the National Weather Service projects the drought, which began in early 2020, will continue across virtually the entire American West. Cooler waters in the Pacific are giving rise to fewer storms in the Southwest, while higher temperatures on land are drying out soil. In the last two years, average temperatures have been upward of 2 degrees F (1.1 degrees C) warmer across the West and more than 3 degrees F (1.7 degrees C) warmer in much of the Southwest.
“The dryness has coincided with record-breaking wildfires, intense and long-lasting heat waves, low stream flows and dwindling water supplies in reservoirs that millions of people across the region rely on,” University of Colorado climate scientist Imtiaz Rangwala wrote in The Conversation.
Read more at: Yale Environment 360
Groundwater storage as of March 28, 2022. Blue areas are wetter than usual, while orange and red areas are drier. (Photo Credit: Climate Central)
