Warming Causing Rockies, Everest to Lose Ice and Snow
Around 20 percent of the snow cover in North America’s greatest mountain range has been lost – because of warmer springs in the last three decades. Scientists from the American Geophysical Union and the U.S. Geological Survey report that they had established a pattern of snowfall in the northern and southern Rockies: when the snowpack was large in… Read More
Drought and Heat May Fuel Early Fire Season in West
Fire season may come early this year in the West, as it has more frequently in recent years, thanks to ongoing drought conditions and increasing temperatures. According to a new outlook issued by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, ID, major wildfires in California could begin as early as this month, nearly a month ahead of… Read More
Spring Blizzard to Dump Heavy Snow, Spark Severe Storms
This storm will be notable for its broad geographic reach and multiple hazards, ranging from blizzard conditions with heavy snow and powerful winds, to severe thunderstorms containing large hail, damaging winds, and potentially tornadoes. … Read More
Another Summer of Drought Looms for Texas and West
The drought that has gripped Texas for the better part of two years is expected to continue into the summer. Conditions are also expected to expand and intensify all across the West and Southwest, where below-average annual precipitation have combined with low water supplies left over from the drought that began in 2012. An update to the Seasonal… Read More
Heavy Rains, Snow Bring First Hint of Good Drought News
There was a net decline in all categories of drought across the lower 48 states during the week ending on Feb. 26. Most of the drought relief was confined to the Southeast and Southern Plains. In the Southeast, the total area in moderate drought or worse plummeted from 43.76 percent down to 27.26 percent in just one week.… Read More
Time Is Running Out to Avert a Third Summer of Drought
Meanwhile, the economic toll of the worst drought to strike the U.S. since at least the 1950s is climbing, and it “will probably end up being a top-five disaster event” among the government’s ranking of all weather disasters over the past three decades, said Brad Rippey, a meteorologist in the Agriculture Department’s Office of the Chief Economist,… Read More
Snowstorm Headed For Heart of Drought Region
According to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor, 77 percent of Nebraska is currently classified as experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions, the most severe category there is. In Kansas, that figure is lower, at 36 percent of the state.… Read More
Climate Change Leads to Tougher Times on the Ranch
For western Colorado ranchers, the decision to sell cattle during tough times can hinge on a flower. Local cattle have developed immunity against the poisonous larkspur that live among more edible grasses. So a rancher culling a herd he can't afford to feed faces a problem restocking once economics improve: The replacements may die if they binge on… Read More
