![]() ![]() The Colorado River, which supplies tens of millions of people and a multi-billion dollar agricultural industry from Wyoming to Mexico, is shrinking at the hands of climate change. The snowy boost bought water managers enough time to agree on a temporary water conservation deal that should last for the next three years. The remainder mostly comes from high-elevation parts of Utah and Wyoming. The snowy winter was a boon to the Colorado River, which gets nearly two-thirds of its water from the state of Colorado. “And that can be coupled back to what we saw through the fall and winter months, and even the spring throughout the region.” “What’s really safe to say is, throughout the entire West, we’ve seen a dramatic decrease in the amount of drought,” Fuchs said. Darker colors are used to indicate more severe drought. The map on the right shows the same region in June 2023. Drought Monitor The map on the left shows drought conditions in June 2022. Now, 0% of the region is experiencing those high levels of drought, with the majority of drought-stricken areas classified under the least severe category. Last June, 72% of the Southwest was under “extreme drought” or “exceptional drought,” the two most severe categories. Precipitation continued into the warmer months as well.Įven in places where drought conditions persist, they are less severe than a year ago. Parts of those states saw record-setting snowpack this winter, keeping ski resorts open late into the spring and providing a big dose of relief for water managers grappling with a shrinking supply of drinking water from the Colorado River. Drought monitor defines the Southwest as Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada. Just a year later, only 28% of the region is experiencing drought. ![]() In June 2022, 99% of the Southwest was under some degree of drought. “Unlike some past presentations I’ve given for the Southwest,” said Brian Fuchs, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, “This one actually has some good news in it.” A briefing by climate experts spelled out how a snowy winter and rainy spring brought relief to a particularly parched region. Thank you for listening to the weather report from LocalConditions.A stretch of unusually wet months has erased drought across much of the Southwest. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Sunday has an expected forecast of Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5pm. The forecast for Tonight is A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 1am and 2am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Sunrise is at 6:32 AM and Sunset is at 8:57 PM. Wind direction is West at 4 miles per hour, gusting at 7 mph. The humidity is 55.4 percent with a dew point of 69.8 degrees fahrenheit that is rising since the last report. ![]() The barometric pressure is 29.83 - measured by inch of mercury units - and is falling since its last observation. It is 88 degrees fahrenheit, or 31 degrees celsius and feels like 91 degrees fahrenheit. The current weather report for Signal Mountain TN, as of 7:00 PM EDT, has a sky condition of Mostly Cloudy with the visibility of 10.00 miles. ![]()
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