drought

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Southwest Drought Is Worst on Record

Climate change has made it more severe, report says

(Newser) - Not only is the drought in the southwestern US the worst on record, it's not over yet, say researchers who leave no doubt the severity is connected to climate change. A team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and independent researchers found the 20-month period from January 2020...

Drought Is Hitting Corn, Wheat Production Hard

Inventories expected to fall to lowest level since 2013

(Newser) - This is a tough year for American farmers—severe drought has gripped much of the country and crops planted this spring are failing. The Department of Agriculture has now scaled back its forecasts for 2021 production and inventories of corn, wheat, and soybeans are expected to fall to their lowest...

On the Western Plains, a Debate on America's Mustangs

Roundups of free-ranging horses said to be due to drought, but activists are protesting the move

(Newser) - The sound of the helicopter propeller thundered across the horizon as it dipped down toward mustangs dotting the golden brown plain. The horses burst into a gallop at the machine's approach, their high-pitched whinnies rising into the dry air. That helicopter roundup in the mountains of western Utah removed...

California Has More Than One Almond Problem

Almond orchards are thirsty, and the crops that soak up water are largely exported

(Newser) - A historic drought across the US West is taking a heavy toll on California’s $6 billion almond industry, which produces roughly 80% of the world’s almonds. More growers are expected to abandon their orchards as water becomes scarce and expensive. It’s a sharp reversal for the almond’...

Western States Face Federal Water Cuts
Shortage
Means Federal
Water Cuts
Aug 16, 2021 2:32 PM CDT

Shortage Means Federal Water Cuts

Drought fueled by climate change leads to record low levels in major reservoirs

(Newser) - Officials on Monday are expected to declare the first-ever water shortage from a river that serves 40 million people in the American West, triggering cuts to some Arizona farmers next year amid a gripping drought. Water levels at the largest reservoir on the Colorado River—Lake Mead—have fallen to...

Great Salt Lake Hits an Unwanted Milestone

Level reaches an all-time low as Utah battles drought

(Newser) - Inevitable but still unwelcome: The US Geological Society says the average daily water level of Great Salt Lake in Utah has dropped to a historic low. The agency tweeted over the weekend that it recorded a level of 4,191.3 feet above sea level, eclipsing the previous low set...

Biden Reverses Showerhead Rule Trump Demanded

Manufacturers largely ignored relaxed standards meant to give Trump 'perfect hair'

(Newser) - Former President Donald Trump’s reversal of a 1990s rule limiting waterflow from showerheads to 2.5 gallons per minute never really meant anything in the first place. Now, Biden has rolled the regulation back to 2013 standards, USA Today reports. During Obama’s presidency, lower flow showerhead rules were...

Drought Brings 'Earthy' Taste to California Water

Sacramento suggests adding lemon

(Newser) - Some people like their wines to have earthy notes. Their drinking water, not so much. With much of California in extreme drought, Sacramento residents have been complaining that their water smells strange and tastes like dirt, CBS Sacramento reports. Authorities say it is the result of harmless organic compounds found...

17M Salmon Are Being Trucked to San Francisco Bay

With rivers dried up, this is their only chance of survival

(Newser) - With California facing one of the worst drought years in its history, many more salmon will be traveling to the Pacific Ocean by truck this year. Waterways that young Chinook salmon would normally use to migrate have dried up and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is trying to...

Parts of Nevada Banning 'Non-Functional' Grass

Nevada is first state to permanently ban lawns in certain areas

(Newser) - Grass that's just sitting around, serving no purpose, will soon be prohibited in the Las Vegas Valley. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Friday signed legislation banning "non-functional turf" starting in 2027, the AP reports. Backyards and front lawns aren't going anywhere—single-family homes are exempt from the...

Utah Governor Says It's Time to Pray for Rain

Some Utahns would prefer policy changes

(Newser) - With more than 90% of Utah classed as in "extreme drought," Gov. Spencer Cox is asking for divine intervention. In a video posted on Twitter Thursday, the Republican asked all Utahns, regardless of faith, to join together in a "weekend of humble prayer for rain," CNN...

2020 Also Was Too Hot, Scientists Say

A virtual tie with 2016 made the decade the warmest on record

(Newser) - A sizzling 2020 cemented the last decade as the world's hottest since at least 1880. Last year came in 0.04 degrees Fahrenheit under 2016, one US agency reported, while another found the two years too close to call, the Wall Street Journal reports. "This is another piece...

Drought in Western US May Be One for the Ages
Worst 'Megadrought' in 1K
Years May Be Upon Us
in case you missed it
Apr 19, 2020 6:53 AM CDT

Worst 'Megadrought' in 1K Years May Be Upon Us

Scientists say dry spell in Western US is worst in modern history

(Newser) - Scientists say a 20-year drought across the western US is in fact an emerging "megadrought" as bad as any in the region over the last 1,200 years. Megadroughts, intense droughts that last decades, have a long history in the Desert Southwest. Indeed, the study area—including nine states...

'Spanish Stonehenge' Reappears in 50-Year First

Dolmen of Guadalperal was last seen in full in 1963

(Newser) - For a limited time, you can feast your eyes on "Spanish Stonehenge"—which has been unseen in full in more than 50 years. The ancient monument officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal—a circle of 150 stones up to 6 feet tall on Spain's Peraleda de...

In Drought-Plagued Parts of Alaska, 'Extreme Measures'

And if climate change continues, these types of scenarios could happen more often

(Newser) - In one Alaska village, officials are barging in jugs of water and shutting off the public water supply 12 hours each day. In another, automatic flush toilets have been switched to manual flushing, and restaurants are serving meals on paper plates. Alaska's hot, dry summer has led to extreme...

After 7 Years, California Has Some Good News

Drought is gone from all parts of the state

(Newser) - Thanks to a very wet winter, California is finally drought-free. A map released Thursday by the US Drought Monitor shows "almost entirely normal conditions" across the state for the first time since December 2011, reports the Los Angeles Times . "It's been so wet … that we've...

Centuries-Old 'Hunger Stones' Reappear in European River

'When you see me, cry,' reads one

(Newser) - Due to this summer's drought in Central Europe, boulders known as "hunger stones" are reappearing in the Elbe River. The low water levels in the river that begins in the Czech Republic then crosses Germany into the North Sea has exposed stones on the river bed whose appearances...

An Aussie State Is 100% in Drought. Kangaroos Are in Trouble

Country lifts restrictions on shooting kangaroos, who are fighting livestock for pasture

(Newser) - Australia's most populous state was declared entirely in drought on Wednesday, and struggling farmers were given new authority to shoot kangaroos that compete with livestock for sparse pasture during the most intense dry spell in more than 50 years. Much of Australia's southeast is struggling with drought. But...

Water Shut-Off Looms as Major City Approaches 'Day Zero'

Cape Town could be world's 1st major city to go dry

(Newser) - Long lines of South Africans collect water daily from a natural spring pipeline in a suburb of Cape Town, illustrating the harsh impact of a drought that authorities say could force the closure of most taps in the city in just over two months, an occasion known as "Day...

Cave Clues Point to Parched Mideast for 10K Years

Iranian stalagmites indicate rain isn't coming anytime soon

(Newser) - For anyone holding hope that the dry conditions in the Middle East are but a temporary drought, two cave stalagmites taken from Iran tell a long history of the region's precipitation and give a grim prognosis: not much rain for the next 10,000 years. Thanks to their chemical...

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