'Desperate for water': drought hits Mexican industrial powerhouse

On Monterrey's outskirts, the reservoir La Boca looks as empty as a dozen restaurants located on its recently renovated promenade. A cracking lakebed and boats left high and dry by the receding waters now greet visitors. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220710-desperate-for-water-drought-hits-mexican-industrial-powerhouse

Governor Abbott Issues Drought Disaster Declaration In July 2022

WHEREAS, I, GREG ABBOTT, Governor of the State of Texas, do hereby certify that exceptional drought conditions pose a threat of imminent disaster in Andrews, Aransas, Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Baylor, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Brazoria, Brewster, Briscoe, Brown, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Camp, Castro, Chambers, Childress, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Coryell, Cottle, Crane, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf Smith, DeWitt, Dickens, Dimmit, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, Erath, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Fort Bend, Franklin, Frio, Gaines, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardeman, Harris, Hartley, Haskell, Hays, Hidalgo, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Howard, Hudspeth, Irion, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kendall, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kinney, Knox, La Salle, Lamb, Lampasas, Lavaca, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lubbock, Lynn, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Midland, Mills, Mitchell, Moore, Motley, Navarro, Nolan, Oldham, Orange, Parker, Parmer, Pecos, Potter, Presidio, Randall, Real, Reeves, Refugio, Roberts, Rockwall, Runnels, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Sherman, Somervell, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Terry, Tom Green, Travis, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Waller, Ward, Webb, Wharton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Williamson, Wilson, Winkler, Yoakum, and Zavala counties https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-issues-drought-disaster-declaration

Fishing limits increased at 5 Utah lakes, reservoirs as drought continues to take its toll

The U.S. Drought Monitor continues to list about 83% of Utah in at least extreme drought conditions, including 7.7% of the state in exceptional drought. More than 99% of the state has been in at least a severe drought for months. Utah's reservoirs are currently at 59% capacity statewide, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources. But the reservoirs that the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources selected are much lower than that. For instance, Yuba Reservoir is currently listed at 12% capacity, while Otter Creek Reservoir is only about a quarter of its entire capacity. https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/7/10/23201019/fishing-limits-increased-5-utah-lakes-reservoirs-drought-toll-fairview-minersville-otter-creek

Ongoing drought conditions hurting Central Texas farms

The current drought conditions are drying up some bodies of water and killing crops. Right now, Texas has the worst corn conditions in the country. https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/ongoing-drought-conditions-impact-central-texas-farms/269-694697e0-f0a3-415a-986e-e1ae1ce14049

Tracking the California drought

Californians are living in the state’s driest period on record. Officials have urged people to conserve as reservoirs run low and demand exceeds a supply stressed by climate change. https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-drought-status-maps-water-usage/

Portugal Battles Wildfires Amid Drought, Heat; 29 Injured

The European Union on Sunday activated its firefighting air fleet assistance program that allows member nations to share resources to help Portugal. Spain, which has also endured wildfires recently, quickly responded by mobilizing two firefighting planes to send to its Iberian neighbor, according to the EU crisis commissioner, Janez Lenarcic. Portugal has long suffered large, and sometimes tragic, forest fires. In 2017, out-of-control wildfires killed more than 100 people. The European Union says climate change has the continent facing one of its hardest years for natural disasters such as droughts and wildfire https://www.voanews.com/a/portugal-battles-wildfires-amid-drought-heat/6652926.html

Lake Mead nears dead pool status as water levels hit another historic low

Lake Mead's water levels this week dropped to historic lows, bringing the nation's largest reservoir less than 150 feet away from "dead pool" — when the reservoir is so low that water cannot flow downstream from the dam. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/lake-mead-nears-dead-pool-status-water-levels-hit-another-historic-low-rcna34733

Lake Mead Water Levels Dropping, Could Soon Be at Dead Pool Level

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 20 percent of land in the western U.S. was determined to be in an "extreme of exceptional drought," as of March 8, 2022. https://www.newsweek.com/lake-mead-water-levels-dropping-deadpool-level-1722632

'Not much relief in sight': Temperatures from powerful 'heat dome' lead to record-breaking highs

At least 10 heat records were broken in cities across the Southwest and central U.S. over the weekend, and more could fall this week amid continued forecasts of searing heat. https://www.yahoo.com/news/not-much-relief-sight-temperatures-163820074.html

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

Portland declares state of emergency as 500,000 flee wildfires across Oregon

Oregon’s largest city reportedly declared a state of emergency Thursday as 500,000 residents across the state – more than 10% of the population -- have been forced to flee their homes due to fast-moving and deadly wildfires. https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-declares-state-of-emergency-as-500000-flee-wildfires-across-oregon

The West is burning, and it’s barely July

The heat is breaking temperature records coast-to-coast, drought covers half of the country, and — sure enough — wildfires are already enveloping the West. More than 30 large fires are burning in 12 states right now. In Utah, dozens of homes have been destroyed and hundreds more are threatened from a largely out-of-control blaze in the eastern part of the state. In Colorado, some of the largest fires in state history have already drawn comparisons to the nightmare fire seasons of 1988 and 2002. https://grist.org/article/the-west-is-burning-and-its-barely-july/?utm_content=buffer59dc0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Red-hot planet: All-time heat records have been set all over the world during the past week

This article, originally published Tuesday, was updated Wednesday to add all-time heat records at Mount Washington, N.H., and Tbilisi, Georgia set since Monday.) From the normally mild summer climes of Ireland, Scotland and Canada to the scorching Middle East, numerous locations in the Northern Hemisphere have witnessed their hottest weather ever recorded over the past week. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/07/03/hot-planet-all-time-heat-records-have-been-set-all-over-the-world-in-last-week/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fcdfc8101f32

Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions Set New Record

In April of this year, the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii recorded an average concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide above 410 parts per million (ppm). This was the highest monthly average in recorded history, and in fact according to ice core records it is the highest value in at least 800,000 years. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2018/06/29/global-carbon-dioxide-emissions-set-new-record/#6403c8e443a9