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As drought worsens, Western states brace for wildfires, water shortages
Above-normal fire risk is spreading across much of the West as snowpack falls below half of median and river supplies tighten.
- From the Rockies to the Sierra Nevada, Western states including Arizona, California, and Nevada face a dangerous summer as a deep snowpack deficit threatens water supplies and increases wildfire risks.
- The National Water and Climate Center reports that snowpack across the West sits at less than 50% of the median level, following a dry winter and a record-breaking March heat wave.
- Matthew Dehr, a wildland fire meteorologist with the Washington Department of Natural Resources, warned that wildfires will likely move faster this year, while the American Farm Bureau Federation noted that water uncertainty complicates planting decisions.
- Last week, Arizona, California, and Nevada submitted a proposal to federal officials to impose further water cutbacks over the next two years to buy time for a longer-term Colorado River deal.
- Worsening conditions threaten hydropower from The Glen Canyon Dam, which powers nearly half a million homes annually, as Sharon Megdal of the University of Arizona described this year as "extremely poor.
Insights by Ground AI
14 Articles
14 Articles
As drought worsens, Western states brace for wildfires & water shortages
From the Rockies to the Cascades to the Sierra Nevada, mountainsides across the West are sparsely covered by the snow and Western states are heading into the summer with a desperately low balance — threatening wildfires, drinking water, crops, electricity and more.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left9Leaning Right2Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution82% Left
Bias Distribution
- 82% of the sources lean Left
82% Left
L 82%
R 18%
Factuality
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