Drought now covers 75 percent of Minnesota; rain chances limited

Recent rains have not been enough to turn around Minnesota’s worsening drought conditions. Despite chances for rain through the weekend, including a severe weather risk Thursday, the expected rainfall is unlikely to turn the situation around. Minnesota had a very dry spring, especially May. June should be Minnesota’s wettest month, but it’s been dry and so much hotter than average that the heat has accelerated drought conditions. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/06/24/75-of-minnesota-now-under-drought-conditions

Western drought brings another woe: voracious grasshoppers

A punishing drought in the U.S. West is drying up waterways, sparking wildfires and leaving farmers scrambling for water. Next up: a plague of voracious grasshoppers. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/western-drought-brings-another-woe-voracious-grasshoppers-rcna1264

‘The water is coming’: Florida Keys faces stark reality as seas rise

Long famed for its spectacular fishing, sprawling coral reefs and literary residents such as Ernest Hemingway, the Florida Keys is now acknowledging a previously unthinkable reality: it faces being overwhelmed by the rising seas and not every home can be saved. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/24/florida-keys-climate-change-sea-level-rise

‘It’s brutal’: Las Vegas cooks amid blazing heatwave – and it’s going to get worse

Throughout the day and for the days that followed, temperatures in the desert city hovered close to historic highs, peaking at 116 degrees Fahrenheit (46.6 Celsius), and setting a new record for such dangerously hot weather so early in the year. Meanwhile, dust and smoke from nearby wildfires hung in the stiff hot air, casting a brown haze over the valley. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/19/las-vegas-heatwave-nevada-us-west-temperatures?utm_source=pocket-newtab

California faces another drought as lake beds turn to dust – a photo essay

Verdant hillsides losing their hue, receding reservoirs with bathtub rings of newly exposed earth, crops withering in the fields. These are the visions of California’s parched landscape as the state braces for another potentially devastating drought. Water shortages and exceptionally dry conditions are already beginning to hit home. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/30/california-drought-water-shortage-photo-essay