All posts tagged "Drought"

SEATTLE — Despite recent rainfall most of Washington still suffers from drought and climatologists say the months ahead aren't likely to offer much relief. The entire state is forecast to remain warmer than normal and much of the state east of the Cascades is likely to see below-average precipitation between now and January, according to the latest seasonal outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Around the first of the year, El Nino conditions are expected to begin pushing warm, tropical air into the Pacific Northwest, worsening the state's warm and dry spell, Washin......

Las Vegas (AFP) - Known around the world as an oasis of overindulgence, the desert city of Las Vegas has emerged as a surprising model of austerity and prudence when it comes to water. Some 2.3 million people live in the arid Las Vegas Valley, and 40 million tourists are drawn each year to its giant casinos and hotels. Yet because Nevada is allowed to use less than two percent of the drought-hit Colorado River's total water, it has taken drastic action, from banning lawns to capping the size of swimming pools. Even as the region's population has exploded by more than half in the past two decad......

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Across the San Francisco Bay Area and California, the past two weeks of soaking storms have brought mudslides, floods and power outages. They’ve also brought something not seen in years: billions of gallons of water rushing into reservoirs, renewing hopes that the state’s relentless drought may come to an end this spring. Six atmospheric rivers storms since the end of December have dumped half a year’s worth of rain on San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and other Northern California cities in two weeks. The ferocious weather has saturated soils, while also smothering the Sie......

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The hazardous weather bearing down on Northern California has flooded overwhelmed rivers and creeks, toppled trees and knocked out power to a storm-weary region. It also could be a short-term drought buster. Following a wet and windy weekend, the region is facing yet another wave of extreme storms. Heavy rain and wind are forecast at least through Tuesday, with showers, Sierra snow and flooding concerns persisting throughout the week. “The conga-line of atmospheric rivers along the Pacific jet stream is likely to continue for the next week or two,” John Abatzoglou, a clima......

For most people, running a single marathon would be an incredible achievement. Australian businesswoman and advocate Mina Guli plans to run 200 in the space of a single year. On 22 March - World Water Day - the 52 year old laced up for the first run of her epic #RunBlue challenge, a bid to raise awareness about the global water crisis. She’s since completed 127 runs, each 42.195 kilometres in length. By the time she completes the last leg in March 2023, Guli will have run 8439 kilometres. That is the equivalent of jogging from Morocco to northern Estonia and back again. “The one thing we all h......

Las Vegas (AFP) - Mobsters who end up sleeping with the fishes are usually never seen again. But climate change has a way of messing even with the mafia, and a watery grave outside Las Vegas is starting to cough up Sin City's darkest secrets. Lake Mead, which can be reached from the Las Vegas Strip by a short ride in the trunk of a car with your hands and feet bound, is drying up in a grueling decades-long drought. Its receding waters are leaving behind the usual flotsam and jetsam of a lake heavily trafficked by weekend boaters. But also bodies. One particular find caught the attention of mob......