Latest news with #NationalDroughtMitigationCenter
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Despite week of rain, Minnesota still in "moderate drought," officials say
This week's wet weather has been a welcome sight given the ongoing drought and recent fires in the Northland. The latest drought monitor map, released May 15, still shows almost a quarter of Minnesota in a moderate drought. "We look at hundreds of pieces of data each week," said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center. Rainfall, soil moisture, and lake levels are just a few of the variables needed to figure out just how bad a drought is. "And this assessment is done manually. We don't plug all this data into a computer model that spits out a map," Fuchs said. He says that information is extremely valuable for just about everyone from farmers to firefighters, especially after a warm, dry winter. "And that's kind of what we've been seeing in the northern part of the state," said Fuchs. "There's quite a bit of fuel available and that dryness has kind of been lingering on into the spring." Fuchs has been drawing the drought maps with a number of colleages for 20 years. He said the 2 to 4 inches of rain across southern Minnesota this week will certainly help, but it's more than just the amount. "We know that 2 inches of rain over a half hour is very different than two inches of rain over 24 hours, especially in states that agriculture is a big part of the economy," said Fuchs. "And so, trying to figure out exactly what happened with that rainfall — when it happened, did it all run off? Did some go into the soil? Did none go into the soil?" He said that analysis wouldn't be possible without the help of nearly 500 contributors across the country — acting as the eyes and ears on the ground. "Having that kind of expertise, contributing week in and week out through their state climate office that you have up in Minnesota is a great attribute to not only the state of Minnesota, but also the importance of the Drought Monitor and making sure we get it right," said Fuchs. With less rain across northern Minnesota, Fuchs anticipates the drought will worsen there. You can find the newest map each Thursday morning here.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Parts of California severely dry while others are drought free for first time since 2019
Northern Californians can breathe easy knowing the region is completely out of drought, according to weather experts. The last patches of unusually dry areas — remnants of drought that plagued counties along the Oregon and Nevada borders in 2024, and almost all North State counties from 2020 to 2023 — were wiped out by this year's wet winter. That's according to data taken at the end of each March by the U.S. Drought Monitor. That happened in most counties even before places like Shasta County got the 19th wettest February on record, stretching back 131 years, according to the data service, a cooperative of federal agencies that includes the National Drought Mitigation Center. However, drought maps also reported parts Southern California are in extreme drought, boosting fire risk this spring. That's after Southern California was already devastated by wildfires in winter. 'California is no stranger to drought. Drought is a gradual phenomenon, occurring slowly over a period of time.' according to the California Department of Water Resources drought information page. Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know. This year's wet season washed away the last of far Northern California's drought woes — at least for now. It's the first time since 2019 the area was out of drought in late March, toward the end of the rainy season, according to drought maps. Those same maps show unusually dry conditions still lurking to the east, just across the state line in Nevada. Drought monitor data recorded no signs of unusual dryness/drought since Nov. 19, 2024 in Shasta and Siskiyou counties, and none since Nov. 26 in Modoc County. Lassen County still had some unusually dry areas until Feb. 11, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. After a wet December and a dry January, February was a soaker. More than 17 inches of rain fell during the first two weeks of the month at the state's largest reservoir, Lake Shasta, north of Redding, according to the National Weather Service. According to data maps, conditions turn unusually dry starting in the northern San Joaquin Valley, east of the San Francisco Bay Area. They mostly worsen, getting drier moving toward the South. Coastal areas from Santa Barbara to San Diego counties are in severe drought, while some inland areas are suffering extreme drought, according to latest drought data posted on March 18. Driest areas include all of Imperial County, much of Riverside County, parts of San Bernardino and Inyo counties, and the eastern third of San Diego County. One reason the south is still in drought is some winter storms that drenched Northern California couldn't continue on to Southern California, their usual pattern. They just dropped all their water on the north. That coupled with unusually strong Santa Ana winds plunged the southern part of the state into a terrible winter fire season, according to the weather service. Rain finally arrived in parts of Southern California in late January and February, but most areas are still in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Is California still in a drought in 2025? This map shows you
USA Today
20-02-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Water crisis in West still looms as Lakes Mead and Powell only 35% full
Water crisis in West still looms as Lakes Mead and Powell only 35% full Show Caption Hide Caption Historic drought spurs Arizona to explore importing billions of gallons of water Arizona is exploring plans to import billions of gallons of water to address historic drought conditions in the Colorado River. Straight Arrow News Last week's rain and floods in California may soon give way to concerns about drought in the West as spring kicks off the region's dry season. This year's storms won't erase looming drought worries across the entire southwestern U.S., experts fear. Of particular concern are the giant reservoirs of the Colorado River basin, Lakes Mead and Powell, which remain far below capacity. Colorado State climatologist Russ Schumacher told USA TODAY Wednesday that "because of the warm, dry conditions over the last couple of decades, which have been made worse by a warming climate, and also because of high demand for water in the region, the two big reservoirs on the Colorado River (Lakes Mead and Powell) are still very low compared to their historical levels." How are Lakes Mead and Powell doing? Lakes Mead and Powell, which provide the water that 40 million Americans depend on, are now only about 35% full, climatologist Brian Fuchs of the National Drought Mitigation Center said. Additionally, he said that while "Powell and Mead are in slightly better shape than a few years ago when they were at record lows and it really was a crisis situation, they are still only holding about half of the water compared to the average over the last 40 years." Fuchs also said that there is a lot of storage capacity available in the reservoirs, and that "Mother Nature needs to help do her part, too." Recent storm helped The recent wet conditions over California allowed for some improvements and eased some of the state's drought conditions, Thursday's U.S. Drought Monitor said. Schumacher also said the mountain snowpack in the Upper Colorado River basin (the area upstream of Lake Powell) did see a nice boost from the recent storm: it had been at about 82% of average as of last week, but is now up to 94% of average, he said. Snowpack is key for water for the West: "Most of the water for the Colorado River originates from mountain snow," Schumacher said. Snow drought in the Southwest However, the Lower Colorado River basin snowpack is still extremely low, and a "snow drought" has been declared in many states: "Exceptional snow drought persists in the Southwest (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah) as a result of record dry conditions," according to Snowpack there had been record low before the recent storm, which gave it a slight boost, but only to 35% of average, Schumacher said. The U.S. Drought Monitor continues to show moderate to extreme drought over much of the Colorado River basin, with worse conditions the farther southwest you go. Overall, he said precipitation for this water year (which started October 1) is well below average over the Southwest. Many locations in the region have been near-record dry since October. Looking ahead The Colorado River Basin Forecast Center's recent forecast is for only 70% of the average flow into Lake Powell this spring and summer, according to Schumacher. He added that the medium-range forecast shows an extended period of warm and dry conditions into early March, "so unless the pattern changes to bring some huge snowstorms in the spring, it's likely to be another year with very low flows on the Colorado River."
Boston Globe
14-02-2025
- Climate
- Boston Globe
A cold winter stalls New England's recovery from summer-fall drought
By comparison, last winter was much warmer: The season delivered well above-average temperatures across all six New England states, reaching 5 degrees above the climatological average and resulting in far more rain than snow falling across the region. Meanwhile, this winter's average temperature in New England is actually pacing below the norm by about a half degree, something that hasn't happened since the winter of 2018-19 (the average temperature slipped 0.38 degrees below normal that season). The colder winter has also meant more rounds of snow from passing storms, hindering an already slow drought recovery. As a result, parts of New England remain in some level of drought - currently moderate to severe drought, with the worst conditions across Southern New England, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday. Advertisement 'We track streamflow, groundwater, and how much water is getting into lakes and ponds,' said Vandana Rao, director of water policy for Massachusetts. 'Recently, we've seen precipitation events mostly come in the form of snow, but the moisture we need is locked up in the snow, preventing any immediate impacts with continuing decreasing water levels.' Much of the state has seen water-level deficits reach 8 to 13 inches since the onset of drought in late August. And the cold air is really to blame. Snowmelt isn't occurring and with frozen topsoil, any melting struggles to actually get into the ground. Advertisement The lack of intensity from the storms our region has been seeing in January and February, with dry spells in between, has worsened the problem. 'It has been a drier than normal winter, even with the recent precipitation events, and what has been alarming throughout the region is that when we have hit dry patches, groundwater and well water supplies have dropped much more rapidly, telling us that there are underlying drought issues that are going to take some time to resolve,' said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. If this active weather pattern continues, Fuchs said, there could 'be good opportunities to see the drought intensity ease and in some cases, it will be removed completely.' But right now, he said, with 'snow staying on the ground along with frozen soils, it is very hard to see that precipitation absorbed into the local hydrologic systems.' And with a double-digit deficit continuing, it's going to take persistent weather patterns producing rain instead of snow to pull Massachusetts and much of the region out of the drought. The decrease in water use for landscaping, pool and other recreational needs as well as agricultural needs does help, according to Rao. There is light at the end of the tunnel as we work closer to spring and more rainstorms may head our way. It'll come down to storm track, which this winter has favored more of an inside track, limiting warmer air and moisture needed for rain to push into the region. Our storms have been relatively mild, although conditions may likely change in the coming weeks. Advertisement In fact, 'The upcoming rain could help increase streamflows and perhaps river levels, though it would take more frequent precipitation for a meaningful improvement,' said Brad Pugh, meteorologist with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. New England is likely to end the month at average or above in terms of precipitation. Boston Globe Looking ahead, Pugh added, 'Our seasonal drought outlook calls for improving conditions and even drought removal in some areas.' He predicts New England could see improving drought conditions over the next couple of months. Globe correspondent Chris Gloninger contributed to this report. Ken Mahan can be reached at
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Extreme drought returns to parts of Utah as dry conditions intensify statewide
Extreme drought has returned to Utah for the first time in nearly two years, but a weekend storm could help parts of the state that have so far missed out on winter storms. Moderate drought conditions or worse now blanket about two-thirds of the state, which is up from about 40% last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor's weekly update on Thursday. It adds that about 8% of the state is in severe drought, while a little over 4% — covering large chunks of Washington and Iron counties — are in extreme drought. It's the first time that the Drought Monitor has listed any part of Utah in extreme drought since March 2023. Another 33% is listed as "abnormally dry," leaving just 1.3% of the state not listed in any drought category. Utah's new extreme drought is part of a larger drought growing across parts of Arizona, California and Nevada. Exceptional drought — the agency's worst drought category — returned this week to an area near Lake Mead. "Conditions are alarmingly dry, with dry soil and high fire danger," Lindsay Johnson, a climatologist for the National Drought Mitigation Center, wrote in an adjoining report. The update comes a day after the Washington County Water Conservancy District reported that St. George remains on pace for its driest winter since city records were first recorded in 1895, while the county is on pace for its lowest water year on record. Southwestern Utah's snowpack basin has only collected 1.4 inches of snow water equivalent since the water year began on Oct. 1, 19% of the median average for this point in the season, according to Natural Resources Conservation Service data. Washington County commissioners called on residents to reduce water consumption and pray for rain last month as the dry conditions continued into the new year. The basin's last significant boost came during Thanksgiving weekend. Candice Hasenyager, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, told that the state is closely monitoring conditions, especially in central and southern Utah. Other snowpack basins within those regions ranged from 35%-79% of their respective median averages on Thursday. Snowpack basins along the Wasatch and northern Utah regions remain above 80%, thanks to storms that have passed through those regions more frequently this season. It's kept the statewide average at 78% of the first week of February normal. The number is also expected to increase a bit as an incoming storm is forecast to provide a mix of rain and snow across the state between Friday and Saturday. KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson said it's projected to deliver 2-6 inches of snow in the southern mountains. "It's not going to be a ton, but it is something," he said. What helps is that Utah's reservoirs remain 78% full statewide, well above the February median average. However, many reservoirs in central and southern Utah could struggle to refill if dry conditions linger. Hasenyager said the state will continue to push conservation messages as the drought intensifies. 'That's always part of our efforts — to make sure we're managing our water supplies as wisely as possible,' she said. 'We need to do that whether we're in drought or not, but it definitely becomes more important when we're in low water supply conditions.'
