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More than 90% of the American West is in the grip of a historic, life-threatening drought — and summer 2021 is just beginning.
A map of extreme conditions released Thursday by the US Drought Observatory — which began in 2000 and produced through a partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s National Drought Mitigation Center, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — showed the vast region in tatters. to her.
Pacific Northwest bakes into historic heatwave, wildfire risks soar
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Integrated National Drought Information System (NIDIS) reported that for the third consecutive week, “extreme” and “exceptional” drought levels hit a record high, with 49.7% of the West in that category.
The agency indicated in a tweet on Twitter: “The highest percentage before the 2020/2021 drought was on July 23, 2002 at 45.3%.”
More than 58 million people have been affected as the more than two-decade-old drought worsens, and multiple governors have declared states of emergency with rising temperatures and bushfire risks.
Severe heat has hit the West in recent weeks, roasting already fragile vegetation, drying up alarmingly empty tanks, and shattering temperature records.
The NOAA Climate Page described drought and heat as “partners in the natural dance,” with drought exacerbated when temperatures rise and vice versa.
A study published June 17 in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that soil moisture tends to decline on hot days in the southwest.
Historic drought in the West brings a plague of germs
The reason for the drought is also due to La Niña conditions, which were in effect during the winter of 2020 to 2021.
NOAA notes that there is evidence that climate change has played a role in creating this reality – with heat waves occurring more often and lasting longer since the 1960s and steadily rising temperatures due to the release of greenhouse gases.
Scientists warned last year that the worst-ever climate-induced “massive droughts” could devastate the West, based on 1,200 years of tree ring data, recent weather observations and 31 advanced climate models.
Rick Thielman, chief pilot for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, shoots water with a “Bambi Bucket” in the “fin” of the Guazler in the Moody Mountains, in Clark County, Nevada, Tuesday, June 8, 2021, during an emergency water draw operation. While slings are primarily used to aid the area’s large flocks of sheep, they also provide water for the variety of animals that inhabit the area. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
Going back more than a millennium, there is evidence that natural-caused massive droughts have devastated the region many times over – often leading to social unrest among indigenous civilizations.
Residents have been told to prepare for impact and advised to take precautionary measures this summer to help protect themselves from a myriad of concerns.
Grasshoppers, which grow in warm, dry weather, took over and began to strip trees.
A number of cities in Utah have banned fireworks before the Fourth of July, fearing devastating wildfires.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is said to be considering relocating some species of fish to save them and eliminate bag restrictions for recreational fishermen.
New Mexico parks officials have closed boat ramps across the state as reservoirs are drying up.
Water supply is a common problem across the West, with 1,500 critical reservoirs in California less than half what it should be this time of year, and Idaho water managers cutting off irrigation flows to farmers. Thousands of cultivators in the Golden State were warned that they might face a similar fate.
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Utah Governor Spencer Cox urged residents and businesses to reduce water use, issuing multiple drought-related executive orders.
“We’re slowing down in our press conferences on the pandemic, and we’re headed straight for another catastrophe,” Cox told reporters earlier in June. “It was this kind of year for Utah.”
“Temperatures are getting hotter in this state, and the drought is getting drier,” California Governor Gavin Newsom told the media in May. “We have a transportation system, a water system, that was designed for a world that no longer exists.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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