Sarah Brunner opened the irrigation spigots on her farm in March, three months early. The rain should have still been falling in California. Now that summer is taking hold, she and her husband are considering shifting their meager water supplies into pastures so their animals will have enough to eat. Brunner’s worries don’t stop at… Continue reading Drought Indicators in Western U.S. Flash Warnings of the ‘Big One’
Tag: CA drought
Heat Waves Across the West Risk Blackouts as Drought Reduces Hydroelectric Power
States across the West are at risk of electricity shortages this summer as a crippling drought reduces the amount of water available to generate hydroelectric power. Some of the region’s largest reservoirs are at historically low levels after a dry winter and spring reduced the amount of snowpack and precipitation feeding rivers and streams. The… Continue reading Heat Waves Across the West Risk Blackouts as Drought Reduces Hydroelectric Power
Water Scarcity Is Baking Cropland, Ramping Up Wildfire Risk from California to Texas
Normally at this time of year, Katy Kemp’s 80 head of cattle would be grazing on her family’s ranch in Staples, Texas. Instead, the herd is living off dwindling hay stores as drought dries up grassland and chokes off crops. Parts of Texas are so starved for water that ranchers are trucking feed 1,000 miles… Continue reading Water Scarcity Is Baking Cropland, Ramping Up Wildfire Risk from California to Texas