Record U.S. drought sparks fears about wildfires, water supply and food prices

Drought in the contiguous United States has reached record levels for this time of year, weather data shows. Meteorologists said it’s a bad sign for the upcoming wildfire season, food prices and western water issues. More than 61% of the Lower 48 states is in moderate to exceptional drought – including 97% of the Southeast … Read more

Years of drought has Corpus Christi, Texas, wrestling with water crisis

In parched southern Texas, a yearslong drought has depleted Corpus Christi’s water reserves so gravely that the city is scrambling to prevent a shortage that could force painful cutbacks for residents and hobble the refineries and petrochemical plants in a major energy port. Experts said the city didn’t expect such a bad drought, and new … Read more

After the West’s historic snow drought, spring could bring water shortages and wildfires

At ski resorts across the West this winter, viral images showed chairlifts idling over brown terrain in places normally renowned for their frosty appeal. Iconic mountain towns like Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, were seen with shockingly bare slopes, as the region endured a historic snow drought that experts warn could bring water shortages … Read more

With time running out, snow drought and warm weather raise wildfire risk in the West

A combination of unusually balmy winter weather across much of the Western United States and one of the worst snow droughts in decades has experts bracing for what could be a particularly intense wildfire season. The snowpack is well below average for this time of year in nearly all Western states, with little time remaining … Read more