May 10 California expands drought emergency to large swath of state By Don Thompson, Associated Press California Gov. Gavin Newsom has expanded a drought emergency declaration to a large swath of the nation's most populated state amid "acute water supply shortages" in northern and central areas. Continue reading
Mar 18 Forecast shows nasty drought worsens for much of U.S. By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press Thursday's spring outlook is bad news for the West, which has been under a megadrought for more than 20 years. Continue reading
Mar 10 Western states chart diverging paths as water shortages loom By Felicia Fonseca and Sophia Eppolito, Associated Press Legislation in Utah is raising concerns as seven Western states prepare to negotiate how to sustain a river that supplies 40 million people and a massive agricultural industry. Continue reading
Oct 29 Watch 5:51 These Western states have endured a relentless wildfire season -- and it's not over By Claire Mufson In the American West, there has been little relief from a record-breaking fire season that has burned more than 5 million acres. Maggie Mullen of the Mountain West News Bureau in Wyoming, Cassandra Profita of Oregon Public Broadcasting and Sharon… Continue watching
Oct 15 Drought more likely than blizzards this winter, forecasters say By Seth Borenstein, Associated Press U.S. weather officials are predicting a mostly warmer than normal winter, but they are also worried about a worsening drought. Continue reading
Sep 14 Watch 7:10 How climate change 'exacerbates' wildfires in the American West As large parts of California and the Pacific Northwest are beset by wildfires, the issue of climate change has taken on prominence in the national political conversation. Scientists increasingly point to rising temperatures and extreme dryness as exacerbating wildfires, but… Continue watching
Sep 09 Watch 3:02 Unprecedented fires engulf California as others ravage Oregon and Washington state By Stephanie Sy The American West’s wildfire disaster is only getting worse. As California struggles to corral widespread blazes, the governor of Oregon reported hundreds of homes had burned in her state. High winds are fanning uncontrolled flames, more power outages are expected… Continue watching
Sep 08 Watch 3:00 Over 2 million acres have burned in California -- and fire season is just beginning By Stephanie Sy Record wildfires are still raging across vast swaths of California. The flames have burned more than 2 million acres, destroying scores of homes and other buildings. Hundreds of people have been stranded by the exploding blazes, requiring rescue by helicopter… Continue watching
Sep 07 Watch 6:11 California wildfires illustrate the consequences of climate change A record heat wave is scorching California, where about two dozen wildfires are currently burning. Nearly 15,000 firefighters are battling steep terrain and extremely dry conditions as they struggle to control the raging infernos. On Sunday, temperatures in Los Angeles… Continue watching
Mar 04 Hotter climate increased risk of Australia's record fires by 30 percent By Christina Larson, Associated Press The researchers used high-resolution computer models to pinpoint how much an altered climate influences the likelihood of specific extreme wildfires, floods, droughts and heatwaves. This growing field of research is called climate change attribution. … Continue reading