#Drought has abated across parts of the eastern US and covers 38.87% of the continental US, a decrease of 5.11 points from last week. droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx

#Drought Threatens Southern #California Agriculture #SouthernCalifornia’s prolonged dry spell — nearly eight months with negligible rain — is straining #agriculture and raising concerns about wildfire risks. Rainfall levels are much below average. agweb.com/markets/pro-fa…

This week’s unholy mix of #drought, wind, and fire in Southern #California Fierce winds will scrub a landscape parched by one of the driest starts to the water year in Southern California history, so any wildfire that gains traction could be devastating. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/01/this-w…

Los Angeles Fires and Winter #Drought Likely Linked to Ocean Heat Ridges of high pressure that refuse to break down have created dangerously dry conditions across Southern #California and the US Northeast. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Missouri River runoff expected to stay below normal in 2025 Runoff into the #MissouriRiver basin above Sioux City was below average in 2024, leading to low storage levels in the river's reservoirs. Runoff in 2025 may be even lower than last year. #drought siouxcityjournal.com/news/state-reg…

San Diego is now officially the driest start to the water year (since October 1) with only 0.14 inches so far putting it in first place #dry #climate #socal #cawx but in contrast far northern California is much above averages

Stark 'drought' maps reveal just why #wildfires have blazed through Los Angeles The state is seeing a sharp water divide this year, with lots of rain in the north while the south has stayed dry. A hydrologist explains. #drought #California #LosAngeles livescience.com/planet-earth/w…

The #Drought That Felled Assad "The meteorological drought that swept through the Fertile Crescent (stretching from the Tigris and Euphrates to the Nile Valley) in the 2000s finally ended up undoing the Assad regime in Syria..." #Syria fpif.org/the-drought-th…

#Greece hotel pools set to switch to seawater on #drought-hit islands "Hotels on Greek islands may be filling their swimming pools with seawater this summer in response to worsening drought conditions, under new legislation being debated in parliament." apnews.com/article/greece…

The Rocky Mountains have gotten near-average #snow this year. So why are forecasts for Lake Powell inflows so low? “Areas with better soil moisture conditions and better snowpack conditions are the areas where the forecasts are more favorable.” #LakePowell sltrib.com/news/environme…

#Drought expanded in parts of the West, Plains, and Southeast, with a notable increase in coverage across Southern #California. Drought covered 36.72% of the contiguous US, same as last week. droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx

Severe droughts are getting bigger, hotter, drier and longer Droughts lasting multiple years are becoming more common and extreme around the globe, expanding by about 50,000 square kilometres annually. #drought #megadrought newscientist.com/article/246441…

Drought intensified in parts of the West and Southeast with a few pockets of improvement in those regions. #Drought covered 37.56% of the continental US, an increase of 0.84 points from last week. Notice Southern #California's quick ramp up to drought in the past few weeks.

US #power firms crank up dirty fuel use to fight cold snap Power generators boosted output from dirty coal and oil-fired power stations to help battle a bitter cold snap affecting much of the US. Hydropower was down nearly 3% due to ongoing #drought. reuters.com/business/energ…

Drought shifted considerably in the past week, worsening in parts of the PNW, Southwest and Mid-Atlantic, while abating in the Southeast and pockets of the Northern Plains and Michigan. #Drought (D1-D4) expanded to cover 39.64% of the continental US, up 2.08 points.

Join the virtual workshop to learn about the USDM process and how to contribute. Thursday, February 20 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern; Registration: go.unl.edu/usdm-workshop-…

Drought endangers Desert Bighorn Sheep, Nevada’s state animal Desert #bighornsheep may die from starvation due to #drought and lack of forage. No measurable rain has fallen in Southern #Nevada in the last 200 days as monsoonal rains were absent in 2024. nevadacurrent.com/2025/01/27/dro…

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Drought Monitor concerned over federal cuts at USDA, NOAA The US Drought Monitor depends on data and staffing from those agencies to issue its weekly U.S. Drought Monitor. #DroughtMonitor #USDroughtMonitor #USDA #NOAA ketv.com/article/drough…