Colorado's snowpack woes continue despite recent storms
The West was still on track to see a record low snowpack season in the Rockies. Colorado snowpack was hovering at about 62% of normal entering March after a warm, dry winter.
#SnowDrought #water #ColoradoRiver
www.kunc.org/news/2026-03...
A map of calculated soil moisture anomaly for the U.S. Conditions are very dry in the eastern half of the country.
The calculated soil moisture anomaly for the US shows extremely dry conditions across the eastern US. The soil moisture is lowest across eastern Texas to northwestern Mississippi and also in southwest Georgia.
#SoilMoisture 🧪
www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Soi...
Rankings of meteorological winter (Dec-Feb) temperatures across the U.S.
Meteorological winter (Dec-Feb) was the warmest on record for many locations in the West. The rankings are shown with 1 through 10 in dark red, red and orange rectangles showing sites with the warmest temperatures, with 1 being the warmest ever recorded.
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sercc.oasis.unc.edu/Map.php?regi...
The Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for March 2026 shows which parts of the U.S. that have above, below, or normal fire potential.
The Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for March 2026 shows above normal fire potential for the Central and Southern Plains, the Gulf Coast, and the Southeast.
#fire
Neighbors in Lincoln, Nebraska felt the earthquake in south central Nebraska, as did people even further away in Omaha.
I didn’t notice a thing, however.
#earthquake #Nebraska
Widespread drought raises concerns for 2026 crop season
Farmers across the US are aware of the need for moisture as 51.13% of the country is in drought (D1-D4), while 23.24% is abnormally dry, according to the US Drought Monitor.
#drought #agriculture
www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/widespr...
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows areas of the country affected by drought and the intensity of the drought.
The one week change map shows drought deterioration in yellow and improvement in green.
Drought intensified across many parts of the nation, while easing along parts of the East Coast. Drought covered 51.13% of the continental US, a jump of 2.55 points, as spring and planting season approach.
#drought #DroughtMonitor 🧪
droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.a...
How climate change is impacting drinking water in the US
Climate change is making access to drinkable water more difficult in the US. Climate change worsens hazards, like #drought and flooding, that threaten the quantity and quality of drinking water across the US.
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abcnews.com/US/climate-c...
The Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) is an experimental drought monitoring and early warning guidance tool. It examines how anomalous the atmospheric evaporative demand is for a given location and across a time period of interest.
The Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) shows unusually high evaporative demand anomalies over eastern Nebraska to southwest Wisconsin, Alabama and northeast Mississippi, Florida, and deep south Texas.
#EDDI #drought 🧪
beta.cpc.noaa.gov/climate-phen...
2025 brought record drought, wildfires and windstorms to the Mountain West
At its peak, nearly 2/3 of the Colorado-Utah-Wyoming area was in #drought. Low snowpack, limited spring precipitation and record-setting heat dried out soils and vegetation early in the year.
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www.kunr.org/local-storie...
Oceans may be protecting the world from a global mega-drought
While drought risk is real, and rising, the planet is unlikely to dry out all at once. Ocean patterns seem to act as a natural disruptor, preventing truly global, simultaneous #drought across continents.
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www.earth.com/news/oceans-...
Nearly 6.5 million people in Somalia are facing severe hunger as worsening drought, conflict and global aid cuts intensify the country’s humanitarian crisis.
#Somalia #drought
apnews.com/article/soma...
Winds Whip Up Fires, Dust on the Southern Plains
High winds and dry conditions fueled fast-moving wildland fires in the Southern Plains on Feb 17. Several large blazes broke out in the Oklahoma Panhandle and burned quickly through tens of thousands of acres.
#fire
science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...
US cattle ranchers search for feed as wildfires burn grazing lands
Wildfires that burned huge swaths of pasture in the Southern Plains killed cattle and burned the grass. Surviving cattle need hay.
The cattle herd was at a 75-yr low due to high prices and drought.
www.reuters.com/business/env...
Colorado Farmer May Be Forced to Idle 75% of Acres Due to Record-Low Snowpack
After a warm, dry January, key Western river basins are in severe snow drought. A Colorado producer warns tough planting decisions could reshape this year’s crop mix.
#SnowDrought #drought
www.agweb.com/news/crops/c...
Great Salt Lake may hit historic lows this year, despite long-awaited snowfall
The current snowpack is still hovering near minimum levels, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
#Utah #GreatSaltLake
www.newsfromthestates.com/article/grea...
Scientists change how El Nino is labeled to keep up with spike in temperature
Increasingly hot waters globally have caused NOAA this month to alter how it calculates when the weather pattern has flipped into a new cycle.
#ElNino #LaNina #ENSO 🧪
apnews.com/article/el-n...
Ancient face engravings along Brazil’s Negro River have resurfaced after record low water exposed a protected rock art site unseen for years.
Their return has changed an environmental crisis into a moment of discovery.
#Brazil #drought
www.earth.com/news/face-en...
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought conditions and severity across the country.
The one week change map shows where drought worsened in yellow and where improvements were made in green.
Drought expanded significantly in Montana and Wyoming and eased in the Midwest and small pockets in the West. Drought covered 48.58% of the contiguous US, an increase of 1.98 points.
#drought #DroughtMonitor
droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.a...
Parched Florida now most drought-stricken state
Water managers have issued enhanced restrictions in some areas and are preparing more extreme measures such as installing pumps to pull water from Lake Okeechobee if levels dwindle further.
#Florida #drought
www.palmbeachpost.com/story/weathe...
Do you open the cabinet doors to keep the pipes warmer? A friend used to do that.
Cat sailing through the air at a concert.
Cat
The map shows the percent of normal precipitation across the U.S. for the past 60 days. Much of the country has received less precipitation than normal.
Over the past 60 days, large areas of the U.S. have gotten 70% or less of normal precipitation (shown in dark orange). Areas in red have received 50% or less of normal precipitation.
#precipitation #drought
hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?map...
Dramatic changes in upper atmosphere are responsible for Australia's recent droughts, bushfires
A shift in the jet stream has moved winter weather systems away from Australia’s southern coastline reducing precipitation by at least 25%.
#Australia #drought 🧪
theconversation.com/dramatic-cha...
Florida bees in crisis after freeze, drought
Many honeybees at a Central Florida farm died this winter after a sharp freeze and drought killed flowers and trees that produce nectar and pollen, leaving bees without a natural food supply.
#drought #Florida #bee 🐝
cbs12.com/news/local/f...
The US Seasonal Drought Outlook through May 2026 shows that drought may persist/develop (brown/yellow) in the West, Great Plains, Lower MS Valley and on the East Coast. Drought may improve/be removed (tan/green) in the Northwest, Midwest and Hawaii.
#drought 🧪
www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/exp...
Warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy, ideal to spark extreme wildfires, has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas.
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apnews.com/article/wild...
Interior Department moves forward on guidelines for Colorado River absent full state consensus
The Department cannot delay action. Meeting the Oct. 1, 2026 deadline is essential to ensure certainty and stability for the Colorado River system beyond 2026.
#ColoradoRiver
www.usbr.gov/newsroom/new...
States reliant on Colorado River fail to meet the latest deadline to find consensus
The seven Western states that depend on the Colorado River missed a deadline for the second time Saturday to agree on a plan addressing record drought and water shortages.
#ColoradoRiver
apnews.com/article/colo...
