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KNPR
Newscast headlines

Sierra Snowpack Well Above Average After California Storms

Dec 10, 2018
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Back-to-back California storms blanket the Sierra Nevada in snow, more than twice the snowpack level compared to this time last year, with winter still nearly two weeks away.
 
At the same time last year, the Sierra snowpack was 47 perce
KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

New Water Alliance Aims To Protect Water In The Colorado

Dec 04, 2018

Environmental leaders from the state gathered downtown last week to kick off an effort to conserve water in the Colorado River. 

NPR
Lake Mead stores water from the Colorado River on the Nevada, Arizona border.

Dry And Getting Drier: Southwestern Water Scarcity The New Norm, Climate Study Says

Dec 01, 2018

The effects of climate change are not far off problems for future generations. They are existential problems for everyone alive today.  That’s one big takeaway from the U.S. federal government’s latest roundup of climate science, the National Climate Assessment, now in its fourth iteration.

KNPR
Newscast headlines

El Nino Teases As Southwestern US Remains In Drought

Nov 30, 2018

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — National climate experts have been watching and waiting but El Nino has only been teasing, leaving the American Southwest to hang on longer until the weather pattern develops and brings more moisture to the drought-stricken region.

NPR
The Salt
This summer, because of a severe drought in July and August, cows grazing in Swiss mountain pastures haven't had enough to drink.

High And Dry: Swiss Army Airlifts Water To Cows In Drought-Stricken Mountains

Sep 11, 2018
Water scarcity and heat are threatening two of Switzerland's main agricultural products: milk and cheese. But the shortage affects far more than cows — Swiss glaciers also feed Europe's major rivers.
NPR
The Salt
The harvest is bad for German farmers this year as the country has experienced the hottest summer on record and months without rainfall.

German Farmers Struck By Drought Fear Further Damage From Climate Change

Aug 31, 2018
High temperatures and a severe drought have hit food production in Germany and left many farmers there wondering what they can do to survive climate change.
NPR
World
A crippling drought is ravaging parts of Australia, decimating herds and putting desperate farmers under intense financial and emotional strain, with little relief in sight.

Emus Swarm Town As Australia's Drought Worsens

Aug 20, 2018
The tough conditions are drying up huge swathes of land, leaving farmers struggling. Groups of thirsty emus recently showed up in an outback mining town looking for water.
NPR
The Salt
At brandings in southeast Oregon, kids begin to learn ranch work at a young age. Often, they are put in charge of holding horses, vaccinating cattle and keeping branding irons hot in the fire.

Deepening Drought In Western U.S. Costs Ranchers Money And Heartache

Jul 08, 2018
Because his profits are tied to rain and snow, one Oregon rancher will have to pay thousands to haul water and grass to his cattle in the mountains. And the land just continues to become more parched.
KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

Lake Mead's Bathtub Ring Might Get Bigger

Jul 05, 2018

Water managers are worried about what continuing drought will do to the lake.

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

Arizona Reboots Drought Talks While Rest Of Colorado River Basin Watches

Jun 21, 2018

Water leaders in Arizona are again trying to get to “yes” on a deal that deals with drought.

NPR
National
Flames and smoke billow skyward as a wildfire burns near Durango, Colo. on June 7, 2018. The 416 Fire continued to burn more than 27,000 acres Wednesday morning, causing the closure of a nearby national forest.

Wildfires Blaze Across Parts Of Southwest

Jun 13, 2018
The fires have shut down the San Juan National Forest and destroyed homes in the tourist hub of Moab, Utah.
KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

Water Agency Pushes Conservation Program As Expansion, Drought Persists

Jun 05, 2018

The Southern Nevada Water Authority recently decided to up the ante on one of its signature conservation efforts commonly known as "cash for grass." 

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

When A Drought Lasts 18 Years, Does It Need A New Name?

Apr 03, 2018

From the roof of Chuck McAfee’s adobe farmhouse in rural southwestern Colorado, you can see into three other states: Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

Lake Mead Shortage Averted - For Now

Mar 29, 2018

The drought has not been friendly to Lake Mead.

Dry winters in the Rockies have reduced snow melts into the Colorado
River, which impacts the level of Lake Mead.

KNPR
Newscast headlines

Projections Show Drop In Lake Mead, Not Enough For Shortage

Mar 26, 2018

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A dry winter for the region feeding the Colorado River means Lake Mead's water level could drop, but not enough to trigger an emergency shortage declaration that would force water cutbacks in Nevada and Arizona.

KNPR
Newscast headlines

Forecasters: Dry Winter Won't Send Lake Mead To Record Low

Mar 22, 2018

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Experts say a dry season this past winter won't be enough to send Lake Mead to a record low.

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

How A Dying Lake In California Factors Into The Colorado River’s Future

Mar 15, 2018

The biggest lake in California is shrinking.

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

As Western Snowpack Declines, Nevada Is Hit Hardest

Mar 09, 2018

Snowpack has been declining in the West over the last 60 years or so, and it’s worse than scientists expected.

NPR
The Salt
In 2012, record heat throughout the U.S. farm belt curtailed crop production like this rotting corn on a farm in Bruceville, Ind. Farmers are now worried that the lack of rainfall this year could start the cycle over again.

Widespread Drought Across U.S. Stokes Fears About A Repeat Of 2012's Wrath

Mar 01, 2018
If rainfall doesn't come soon, it could cost billions in devastation — a difficult fallout considering the USDA expects farmers' incomes to hit a 12-year low even if crop yields stay high.
NPR
The Salt
The Theewaterskloof Dam is at just 13 percent capacity and is full of sand and dried tree trunks. About 85 miles north of Cape Town, the dam supplies both city and local farmers.

South African Farmers Lose Crops And Workers Amid Crippling Drought

Feb 04, 2018
Agriculture generates hundreds of millions of dollars per year for this nation. But with water being diverted to Cape Town and expected to run out in April, farmers are preparing for the worst.
NPR
Here & Now Compass
People collect drinking water from pipes fed by an underground spring last week in Cape Town. Next month, the city will slash its individual daily water consumption limit to 13.2 gallons, the mayor said, as the city battles its worst drought in a century

Drought-Stricken Cape Town Braces For Water To Run Out In April

Jan 23, 2018
Officials in the South African city of 3.7 million are restricting water usage amid fears it will run out of water by April 21. Experts say the crisis has been exacerbated by rapid population growth.
KNPR
Newscast headlines

Scientists Work To Manage Water At Humboldt River Basin

Jan 16, 2018

ELKO, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada Division of Water Resources is working to better allocate and manage the amount of water that's allowed to be withdrawn from northeast Nevada's Humboldt River Basin, where demand currently exceeds supply.

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

Rocky Mountain Snowpack Not A Good Sign For Las Vegas

Jan 11, 2018

Skiers rejoiced a bit earlier this week because the rain that fell in lower elevations turned to snow in the mountains.

KNPR
Newscast headlines

Record Dry Raises Fears Of Drought's Return In California

Jan 03, 2018

PHILLIPS STATION, Calif. (AP) — California's water managers are saying it's too early for fears that the state is sliding back into its historic five-year drought.

KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

Should We 'Freak Out' Over Water Supply, Drought?

Dec 15, 2017

The main focus of water managers up and down the Colorado River is keeping Lake Mead high enough that emergency drought measures do not have to kick in.

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