drought News

Half of California Freed From Drought Thanks to Rain, Snow

Tremendous rains and snowfall since late last year have freed half of California from drought, but low groundwater levels remain a persistent problem, U.S. Drought Monitor data showed. The latest survey found that moderate or severe drought covers about 49% …

New Mexico Seeking Changes to U.S. Rules for Wildfire Claims

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is asking that changes be made to rules proposed by the U.S. government as it processes damage claims from a historic wildfire sparked by forest managers. Balderas filed comments on the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon …

Colorado River Nearing Crisis Point 100 Years After Compact

The intensifying crisis facing the Colorado River amounts to what is fundamentally a math problem. The 40 million people who depend on the river to fill up a glass of water at the dinner table or wash their clothes or …

Water Use Drops in July as California Deals With Drought

Californians stepped up their water conservation in July, using 10.4% less than two years ago as the state struggles with a years-long drought, state water officials said. July marks the first full month that new conservation rules like a ban …

China’s Drought-Hit Regions Now Face Heavy Rains, Flooding

More than 100,000 people have been moved to safer areas by Monday as heavy rains brought flood risks to a region of southwest China that was devastated by a heatwave and drought for most of the summer. Heavy rain was …

Report: Atmospheric Storms Could Result in $3.2B in Flood Damage by Century’s End

Atmospheric rivers that bombard the Western U.S. from time to time could result in as much as $3.2 billion in flood damage by century’s end, according to researchers who published a new study in the journal Scientific Reports. Atmospheric rivers …

China Extends Industrial Power Cuts as Drought, Heatwave Threaten Wider Disruptions

Sichuan’s worst drought in more than a half century spurred the Chinese province to extend industrial power cuts and activate its highest emergency response, adding to manufacturers’ woes as they shut down factories in the region. Temperatures above 40 degrees …

Wildfires Burn, Farmers Struggle as Another Heatwave Bakes Western Europe

European nations sent firefighting teams to help France tackle a “monster” wildfire on Thursday, while forest blazes also raged in Spain and Portugal and the head of the European Space Agency urged immediate action to combat climate change. More than …

Rhine River Water Levels in Germany Keep Falling, Forcing Ships to Sail Partly Loaded

Water levels on the Rhine in Germany fell again during hot dry weather over the weekend and cargo vessels cannot sail fully loaded, vessel brokers and commodity traders said on Monday. Shallow water is causing problems for shipping on the …

Europe’s Rhine River on Brink of Becoming Impassable as Water Levels Drop

Water levels on the Rhine River are set to fall perilously close to the point at which it would effectively close, putting the trade of huge quantities of goods at risk as the continent seeks to stave off an economic …