mastodon 4.5.18Keeping tabs on drought impacts for the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for 10+ years. Fascinated by weather & science. Most of my life spent in Nebraska. Curious, finding beauty in nature. Be kind. Views are mine.🌻
Also at Bluesky: @denisegutzmer.bsky.social
Belize Discovery Shows How Maya Engineered Wetlands to Survive Drought
A Maya wetlands settlement in northwestern Belize was discovered and studied. Archaeologists and geographers report that this community transformed a challenging tropical wetland into a productive and enduring home.
The people constructed an extensive network of canals, raised agricultural fields, and modified land surfaces. The findings indicate that the area was not marginal land but a carefully engineered landscape designed to manage water and sustain farming during unstable climate periods.
#drought #Belize #LandscapeDesign
https://colombiaone.com/2026/03/03/belize-maya-wetlands-survive-drought/
Drought puts Peace River fossil hunting on the map with megalodon teeth
Along the Peace River in Charlotte County, lower water levels are giving fossil hunters rare access to areas that are typically underwater. That means more opportunities to uncover ancient animal remains, including one of the most sought-after finds in the region: megalodon teeth.
#Florida #fossil #MegalodonShark #drought #teeth 🦈
https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/peace-river-fossil-hunting-florida/70921398
Precipitation across the US in March 2026 was mostly below normal and was less than 50% of normal in the areas shaded red. Dark red areas indicate where precip was less than 5% of normal like in the Southwest and the Southern Plains. Parts of the Pacific Northwest and Midwest got much above normal precipitation.
Interior Department starts emergency drought measures to prop up Lake Powell
Widespread drought and fears of a power crisis are forcing the US Bureau of Reclamation to start sending billions of gallons of water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir downstream to prop up Lake Powell.
The releases began Thursday. The water will travel down the Green River until it joins the Colorado near Canyonlands in Utah and makes its way to Lake Powell.
Record U.S. drought sparks fears about wildfires, water supply and food prices
Drought in the contiguous United States has reached record levels for this time of year, weather data shows. Meteorologists said it's a bad sign for the upcoming wildfire season, food prices and western water issues.
#drought #water #fire #FoodPrices
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/drought-sparks-fears-about-wildfires-water-supply-and-food-prices/
A freakishly dry spring is literally changing the landscape in Colorado
With the low snowpack comes the need for water conservation, which may mean less lawn watering and a less attractive lawn than usual.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/climate/colorado-drought-water-restrictions-denver-aurora
Tropical volcanic eruptions trigger atmospheric changes that drive droughts in Asia
Past tropical volcanic eruptions have been connected with historical large-scale droughts across parts of Asia documented over the last millennium.
https://phys.org/news/2026-03-tropical-volcanic-eruptions-trigger-atmospheric.html
It’s official: This is Colorado’s worst snowpack year on record, as some mountains sites start April snowless for first time ever
Large swathes of the Colorado Rocky Mountains that are usually covered in snow this time of year started out the month barren, leading climate experts say the state is officially facing its worst snowpack on record.
#snow #Colorado #water #drought
https://www.aspentimes.com/news/colorado-worst-snowpack-year-snowless-april/
‘On a whole other level’: rapid snow melt-off in American west stuns scientists
Snow surveys taking place across the West this week are offering a grim prognosis, after a historically warm winter and searing March heat left the critical snowpack at record-low levels.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/01/snowmelt-american-west
New AI Tool Forecasts Drought 90 Days Ahead Nationwide
The USGS River DroughtCast tool may provide communities extra time to prepare for water shortages that could impact agriculture, municipal supplies, recreation and ecosystems.
2025 brought record drought, wildfires and windstorms to the Mountain West
At its peak, nearly two-thirds of the Colorado-Utah-Wyoming area was in drought. Below-average snowpack, limited spring precipitation and record-setting heat combined to dry out soils and vegetation early in the year.
Five Facts About the United States Drought Monitor
1. Numerous agencies use the U.S. Drought Monitor.
2. The USDM is made with more than precipitation data.
3. A real person, using real data, updates the map.
4. The USDM provides a current snapshot, not a forecast.
5. Your input can be part of the drought-monitoring process.
All true.
#USDroughtMonitor #USDM #drought
https://www.farmers.gov/blog/five-facts-about-united-states-drought-monitor
Too much snow or hoping for more? Two different winters hit the US
So far this season, millions in the Northeast have endured rounds of frigid temperatures and mounds of snow. But a different winter has played out across much of the West. High temperatures and a lack of snow have been feeding a drought there, impacting ski resorts and fueling water shortage concerns.
Colorado River may deliver just a third of normal water supplies this spring, projections show
Modeling released late last week showed the river system on track to deliver a scant 2.3 million acre-feet to Lake Powell, one of the river system’s largest reservoirs. That’s 36% of the median of 6.4 million acre-feet recorded between 1991 and 2020. If the forecast comes true, it would be the fifth-lowest inflow to Lake Powell since the reservoir’s establishment in 1963, according to the National Weather Service’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center.
#ColoradoRiver #drought #SnowDrought #water
https://www.denverpost.com/2026/03/09/colorado-river-drought-forecast-lake-powell/
ENSO-neutral conditions are present and are favored through April-June 2026 (80% chance). In May-July 2026, El Niño is likely to emerge (61% chance) and persist through at least the end of 2026.
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml
Water conservation works, but climate change is outpacing it: Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas offer a glimpse of the future
When a drought turns into an urban water crisis, a city’s first step is often to limit lawn watering and launch a campaign to encourage everyone to conserve. It might raise water-use rates or offer incentives for installing low-flow devices.
A Super El Niño is coming. Here’s how a hotter ocean could change the weather near you
If it forms as expected, this El Niño will redraw global weather maps, sparking flooding for some and drought and wildfires for others — all while simultaneously speeding up the pace of global warming.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/07/weather/super-el-nino-extreme-weather-climate-disaster
Colorado governor activates state's Drought Task Force as low snow and record warmth intensify drought conditions
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis activated the state’s Drought Task Force and Phase 2 of Colorado’s Drought Response Plan.
Meteorological winter (Dec-Feb) was the warmest on record for many locations in the Western US. The rankings are shown on the map below with 1 through 10 in dark red, red and orange rectangles showing sites with the warmest temperatures, with 1 being the warmest ever recorded.
On the East Coast, some places saw their top 10 coldest winters on record.
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 #DroughtMonitor
https://www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/widespread-drought-raises-concerns-for-2026-crop-season/
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.
https://beta.cpc.noaa.gov/climate-phenomena/drought/eddi/current-conditions
Drought expanded in the West and Southeast, but improved in the Midwest and Plains. Drought covers 60.05% of the continental US, an increase of 0.14 points. Drought has intensified significantly in recent weeks as the planting season arrives.
Washington declares unprecedented fourth drought emergency in a row
More than two months before the start of summer, Washington officials warn the state is headed for severe drought conditions not seen since the disastrous hot, dry season of 2015.
March was a dry month, leading to widespread drought expansion across the US with some small areas of improvement in the Midwest and Northeast. Drought covers 59.91% of the continental US, a jump of 3.7 points from last week. Drought has intensified significantly in parts of the Great Plains and West in recent weeks.
Drought in Türkiye’s Iznik Lake reveals possible second submerged basilica
A drop in water levels caused by worsening drought in Iznik (ancient Nicaea), Bursa, northwestern Türkiye, has brought new archaeological remains to the surface in Lake Iznik, where drone footage has revealed what experts believe could be a second submerged basilica close to the shoreline.
Heat waves that spark damaging droughts are happening more frequently, study finds
Researchers from South Korea and Australia looked at compound extreme weather — a one-two punch of heat and drought — and found it increasing as the world warms. But what’s rising especially fast is the more damaging type when the heat comes first and that triggers the drought. In the 1980s, that kind of extreme covered only about 2.5% of Earth’s land each year. By 2023, the last year the researchers studied, it was up to 16.7%, with a 10-year average of 7.9%
https://apnews.com/article/heat-wave-drought-climate-change-9248c65a135dc6ab3665cb8b2127d8e2
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.
Denver Water said that as of March 2, the Colorado River snowpack ranked the second worst since tracking started decades ago.
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.
With spring planting to begin soon, more moisture is needed for crop germination.
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Soilmst_Monitoring/US/Soilmst/Soilmst.shtml
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
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx
Drought, diesel prices could cut crawfish season short
Crawfish producers are pumping more water into ponds, and the high price of diesel makes it expensive to irrigate. Without the issuance of H-2B visas for guest workers, there aren't enough crawfish peelers.
#crawfish #Louisiana #drought #diesel
https://www.heraldguide.com/featured/drought-diesel-prices-could-cut-crawfish-season-short/
The US just had its warmest March ever, by a historic margin
March 2026 was a historic month for temperatures in the US, fueled by an extraordinary and prolonged heat wave that shattered temperature records across much of the West, according to a new report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
https://abcnews.com/US/us-hottest-march-historic-margin/story?id=131846633
Dry outlook persists for Missouri River despite early spring runoff
Despite above average February runoff, the full-year runoff forecast above Sioux City, Iowa is 20.6 MAF, 80% of average. The six mainstem power plants generated 425 million kWh of electricity in February, below the typical February energy generation of 614 million kWh.
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.
USBR Crack the Case Challenge
Geophysicists, sensing specialists, nondestructive testing experts, and creative problem-solvers (including AI/ML practitioners) from any field are invited to develop novel methods for detecting subsurface cracks in embankment dams.
Cash award.