Little relief in sight for multiyear drought.
Weather patterns in parts of the western United States are bringing a crushing drought that will affect more than 70 million people, meteorologists report.
The scope of the western drought includes all of Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico. Close behind are Arizona at 98.9 percent and Colorado at 98.6 percent. Parts of California and Texas are also classified as exceptional drought areas.
“The Four Corners [Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah] is the epicenter of this drought,” said a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska. “When droughts like this happened long ago, the people living there just had to move.”
In the west, winter snowpack can be more effective at relieving drought than summer thunderstorms. The snowpack melts slowly raising water tables and doesn’t just run off the parched soil. Unfortunately, the regions with the worst drought are also those with the least amount of snowpack.
“Moving forward the large area of drought covering much of the western half of the country is expected to generally persist, with areas of intensification possible,” the Climate Prediction Center said.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president’s administration as they seek solutions to destructive weather patterns.
- For farmers and ranchers where water is essential to keeping their businesses productive.
- For protection for inhabitants from wildfires due to the dryness of vegetation in the west.
- For U.S. officials implementing water conservation efforts in the drought-affected areas.
Sources: CBS News, CNN
