Nostr notes by Denise Gutzmer

The Blue River in Breckenridge, Colorado isn’t flowing. ...

2026-09-10T01:24:11Z

The Blue River in Breckenridge, Colorado isn’t flowing.
#Colorado #drought #water

Intense heat and areas of rapid onset drought risk are shown on ...

2026-08-19T15:23:27Z

Intense heat and areas of rapid onset drought risk are shown on the Days 8-14 U.S. Hazards Outlook valid from Aug. 24 - Sept. 1.

#drought #FlashDrought

https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

The U.S. just had its hottest month in recorded history, ...

2026-08-10T19:16:35Z

The U.S. just had its hottest month in recorded history, surpassing Dust Bowl record

For the 48 contiguous states, the July 2026 average of 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit (24.94 degrees Celsius) came in 0.12°F (0.07°C) above the value from July 1936. This makes last month the hottest calendar month in national data going back to January 1895.

#temperature

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/08/the-u-s-just-had-its-hottest-month-in-recorded-history-surpassing-dust-bowl-record/

Where is flash drought occurring? The Flash Drought Conditions ...

2026-07-28T16:23:49Z

Where is flash drought occurring?

The Flash Drought Conditions Indicator v3 shows that parts of Colorado and New Mexico have the most intense conditions. Other areas of flash drought likely include Nebraska, the Great Lakes area, Northeast and Southeast.

The Flash Drought Conditions Indicator (FDCI) is an automated assessment of the rate at which conditions are changing toward drought or abnormal wetness. The FDCI is calculated using a weighted average of four drought indicators (SPI, SPEI, standardized soil moisture anomalies at 10cm and 40cm), along with a weighted average of their strongest category changes.

A version 4 is in the works, so any feedback on how this product is performing in your area would be appreciated.

#FlashDrought #drought

https://ndmcblends.unl.edu/

Six Years of Drought Reshape Soil Microbiomes in Tallgrass ...

2026-07-13T21:06:33Z

Six Years of Drought Reshape Soil Microbiomes in Tallgrass Prairie, Study Finds

A study tracking soil microbial communities across six years of experimental drought in a tallgrass prairie finds that prolonged water stress diminishes biodiversity, pushing communities toward less predictable, harder-to-reverse configurations.

#drought #SoilMicrobes #SoilMicrobiome

https://ou.edu/news/articles/2026/july/drought-reshapes-soil-microbiomes-tallgrass-prairie

El Niño continues and will strengthen through the end of the ...

2026-07-10T13:56:48Z

El Niño continues and will strengthen through the end of the year, with a 97% chance it will persist through early spring 2027.

#ENSO #ElNino

https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml

Eastern Colorado farmers brace for worst wheat harvest since 1965 ...

2026-06-23T18:53:32Z

Eastern Colorado farmers brace for worst wheat harvest since 1965

This year’s wheat crop is barely more than ankle-high, sparse and projected to yield a fraction of previous crops.

Colorado is forecast to produce just 33.6 million bushels of winter wheat in 2026, per U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. This represents a 52% drop from the state’s 10-year average, resulting from severe drought and ill-timed periods of freezing temperatures across a wide swath of America’s wheat belt.

#drought #Colorado #wheat

https://coloradosun.com/2026/06/23/wheat-harvest-eastern-colorado-drought/

USDA Projects Smallest US Wheat Harvest Since 1972 Due to Plains ...

2026-05-12T18:03:11Z

USDA Projects Smallest US Wheat Harvest Since 1972 Due to Plains Drought

USDA forecasts historic wheat lows and record soybean gains amid drought, trade tensions, and rising input costs for the 2026/27 season.

#drought #wheat #soybean

https://www.agweb.com/news/usda-projects-smallest-us-wheat-harvest-1972-due-plains-drought

Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of ...

2026-04-23T22:26:52Z

Why the Southeast is burning – extreme drought is only part of the reason

Large parts of the southeastern U.S. are in the midst of an exceptional drought, and it is fueling dozens of wildfires in Florida and Georgia.

One of those wildfires, in southeastern Georgia’s Brantley County, had destroyed more than 50 homes by April 23, and state officials said about 1,000 other homes were at risk. Another fire near the Georgia-Florida border had burned almost 30,000 acres and was only about 10% contained. The smoke from the blazes triggered air quality alerts in Atlanta, in the north-central part of the state.

#drought #wildfire #Georgia #Florida

https://theconversation.com/why-the-southeast-is-burning-extreme-drought-is-only-part-of-the-reason-281392

The Evaporative Demand Index (EDDI) shows that conditions are ...

2026-04-23T15:26:45Z

The Evaporative Demand Index (EDDI) shows that conditions are exceedingly dry in the Southeast and Central Plains for the past week.

EDDI is an experimental drought monitoring and early warning guidance tool that looks at the anomalousness of the atmospheric evaporative demand.

#EDDI #drought #EvaporativeDemand

https://psl.noaa.gov/eddi/

Too much snow or hoping for more? Two different winters hit the ...

2026-03-11T13:14:09Z

Too much snow or hoping for more? Two different winters hit the US

So far this season, millions in the Northeast have endured rounds of frigid temperatures and mounds of snow. But a different winter has played out across much of the West. High temperatures and a lack of snow have been feeding a drought there, impacting ski resorts and fueling water shortage concerns.

#snow #drought #SnowDrought

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2026/03/11/us-drought-snow-winter-2026/89069485007/

Snow water equivalent map for the West. The areas in red have ...

2025-12-12T16:24:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…0e69
_________________________

Snow water equivalent map for the West. The areas in red have less than 50% of the median SWE for this point in the year.

#snow #snowpack

Not just Utah: The West is off to its slowest snow collection ...

2025-12-12T16:10:10Z

Not just Utah: The West is off to its slowest snow collection start in at least 25 years

Utah's snow season isn't alone in its "slow start."
Snowpack levels are below average to well below average in basins across the West, and satellite imagery shows that the region's snow cover is lowest through the first week of December since 2001.

#SnowDrought #drought #snow

https://www.ksl.com/article/51418035/not-just-utah-the-west-is-off-to-its-slowest-snow-collection-start-in-at-least-25-years

Snowpack in the West is lacking as shown by the snow water ...

2025-12-05T21:38:46Z

Snowpack in the West is lacking as shown by the snow water equivalent. Many basins across the West have snow water equivalents below 50% of normal shown in red.

#snow #snowpack #drought #precipitation

https://nwcc-apps.sc.egov.usda.gov/imap/#version=170&elements=&networks=!&states=!&basins=!&hucs=&minElevation=&maxElevation=&elementSelectType=any&activeOnly=true&activeForecastPointsOnly=false&hucLabels=false&hucIdLabels=false&hucParameterLabels=true&stationLabels=&overlays=&hucOverlays=2,state&basinOpacity=75&basinNoDataOpacity=25&basemapOpacity=100&maskOpacity=0&mode=data&openSections=dataElement,parameter,date,basin,options,elements,location,networks&controlsOpen=true&popup=&popupMulti=&popupBasin=&base=esriNgwm&displayType=basinstation&basinType=6&dataElement=WTEQ&depth=-2&parameter=PCTMED&frequency=DAILY&duration=I&customDuration=&dayPart=E&monthPart=E&forecastPubDay=1&forecastExceedance=50&useMixedPast=true&seqColor=1&divColor=7&scaleType=D&scaleMin=&scaleMax=&referencePeriodType=POR&referenceBegin=1991&referenceEnd=2020&minimumYears=20&hucAssociations=true&relativeDate=-1&lat=41.888&lon=-104.785&zoom=5.5

Drought has slowed the flow of the Mississippi River, allowing ...

2025-10-01T13:52:23Z

Drought has slowed the flow of the Mississippi River, allowing saltwater to move upriver in southeast Louisiana. The location of the saltwater wedge is tracked by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

#drought #MississippiRiver #water #WaterQuality

https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Engineering/Stage-and-Hydrologic-Data/SaltwaterWedge/SaltwaterWedgeNow/

Global water crisis could cost trillions Planet Earth is 70% ...

2025-08-25T18:52:22Z

Global water crisis could cost trillions

Planet Earth is 70% water, yet only about 0.5% is freshwater readily available for drinking, washing and watering crops. And much of that is becoming scarcer due to rising demand and intensifying heat and drought linked to climate change.

#water #drought #climatechange

https://www.dw.com/en/global-water-crisis-could-cost-trillions/a-73394280

The Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) indicates intense ...

2025-08-19T20:48:25Z

The Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI) indicates intense evaporative demand in the Southwest and milder evaporative demand in the Northeast and Florida.
EDDI is an experimental drought monitoring and early warning guidance tool.

#EDDI #drought 🧪

https://psl.noaa.gov/eddi/

ENSO-neutral is most likely through the late Northern Hemisphere ...

2025-08-14T15:06:00Z

ENSO-neutral is most likely through the late Northern Hemisphere summer 2025 (56% chance in August-October). Thereafter, a brief period of La Niña conditions is favored in the fall and early winter 2025-26 before reverting to ENSO-neutral.

#ENSO #LaNina

https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml

The percent of normal precipitation that has fallen across the ...

2025-08-01T13:53:20Z

The percent of normal precipitation that has fallen across the U.S. since the start of the year. Parts of the West have received 70% or less of normal. Other areas like the Southern Plains and Kentucky have gotten 130% or more of normal rainfall.

#precipitation #drought

New global study shows freshwater is disappearing at alarming ...

2025-07-25T19:05:30Z

New global study shows freshwater is disappearing at alarming rates

Unprecedented continental drying driven by severe droughts and groundwater overuse are reducing freshwater and contributing to sea level rise

#freshwater #drought

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1092564

The Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI) shows highest ...

2025-07-22T17:12:54Z

The Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI) shows highest levels of vegetation stress in the Southwest, West, Southeast and northern Illinois.

#VegDRI #drought #vegetationstress

https://vegdri.unl.edu/

June runoff much below average; Navigation flow support decreased ...

2025-07-14T19:46:44Z

June runoff much below average; Navigation flow support decreased slightly after System storage check

June runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa was 3.3 million acre-feet, 60% of average. The updated 2025 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, continues to be below average.

#MissouriRiver

https://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/media/news-releases/article/4237572/june-runoff-much-below-average-navigation-flow-support-decreased-slightly-after/

Droughts can reduce the caloric value of flower nectar by up to ...

2025-06-24T19:01:16Z

Droughts can reduce the caloric value of flower nectar by up to 95%, study finds

A study indicates that projected droughts by the end of this century could reduce the caloric value of flower nectar by up to 95%. This would harm pollinators, such as bees, as well as plants that depend on cross-pollination to reproduce and bear fruit, such as zucchini (Cucurbita pepo). In a less drastic scenario with a 30% reduction in rainfall, the drop was 34%.

#drought #flowernectar

https://phys.org/news/2025-06-droughts-caloric-nectar.html

La Nina exits after three weak months, leaving Earth in neutral ...

2025-04-10T14:13:40Z

La Nina exits after three weak months, leaving Earth in neutral climate state

La Nina, the natural cooling flip side of the better known and warmer El Nino climate phenomenon, has dwindled away after just three months. The La Nina that appeared in January, months later than forecast, was a weak one, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.

#LaNina

https://apnews.com/article/la-nina-el-nino-climate-drought-9c357862ffdd8b0eb67e315c944a1707

Wanted: Rain. #LasVegas to reach 200 days in a row of no ...

2025-01-29T20:57:20Z

Wanted: Rain. #LasVegas to reach 200 days in a row of no precipitation

Today marks Sin City’s 200th day without measuring more than one-hundredth of an inch of rain. The longest consecutive dry streak the valley saw previously was in 2020, with 240 days of no measurable rain. The third-highest streak was in 1959 with 150 days.

#drought #Nevada

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/weather/wanted-rain-las-vegas-to-reach-200-days-in-a-row-of-no-precipitation-3272129/

Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, ...

2024-11-13T21:24:40Z

Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies

Epic dry conditions in some parts of the US are raising fears of new #wildfires and also could threaten drinking #water supplies if substantial rain does not fall in the coming months.

#drought
https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-forest-fires-rainfall-dry-conditions-9f449c4e485d11bac555ad9088ea0caa

Amid #record rainless streak, Arlington and D.C. region asked to ...

2024-11-07T16:47:02Z

Amid #record rainless streak, Arlington and D.C. region asked to continue conserving water

Arlington and the D.C. area remain under a #drought watch as the region faces its driest spell in at least a century and a half.

The drought watch, initially declared in July, will continue through the fall and winter months. This marks the first regional drought watch since 2010, affecting nearly 6 million residents across the D.C. metro area.

#WashingtonDC

https://www.arlnow.com/2024/11/07/amid-record-rainless-streak-arlington-and-d-c-region-asked-to-continue-conserving-water/

#Drought worsened in parts of the Northeast, Southeast and ...

2024-11-07T15:52:22Z

#Drought worsened in parts of the Northeast, Southeast and Montana, while conditions eased in a huge swath from Texas to the Great Lakes. Drought (D1-D4) shrank slightly to 51.89%, down 2.19 from last week, even as abnormal dryness (D0) expanded.

#DroughtMonitor #USDroughtMonitor

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?conus

Drought drained #Pennsylvania lake reveals historic bridge and ...

2024-10-31T19:44:09Z

Drought drained #Pennsylvania lake reveals historic bridge and town

The 200-year-old Great Crossings Bridge at Youghiogheny River Lake in Somerset County has reemerged as #drought lowered the water level. The three arches of the bridge were last visible in 1998.

https://www.wtae.com/article/pennsylvania-historic-bridge-emerges-drought/62766235

West Virginia school closed due to #drought conditions Valley ...

2024-10-31T16:18:33Z

West Virginia school closed due to #drought conditions

Valley High School in Wetzel County will be closed on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 because the school lacks #water due to drought.

#WestVirginia

https://www.wdtv.com/2024/10/31/wetzel-county-school-closed-due-drought-conditions/

After a record dry October for many U.S. cities, #drought again ...

2024-10-31T14:54:42Z

After a record dry October for many U.S. cities, #drought again jumped on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Drought (D1-D4) coverage increased to 54.08%, an uptick of 4.11 points. The area of the US in abnormal dryness/drought (D0-D4) is at a #record high of 87.16%.

#DroughtMonitor #USDroughtMonitor

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?conus

Drought developed and intensified across much of the US with a ...

2024-10-10T14:18:27Z

Drought developed and intensified across much of the US with a few spots of improvement. #Drought expanded by 7.48 points to cover 38.98% of the contiguous US. The jump of 7.48 points is the 4th largest drought increase in the history of the US Drought Monitor.
#DroughtMonitor #USDroughtMonitor
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx

The world’s rivers faced the driest year in three decades in ...

2024-10-08T14:07:39Z

The world’s rivers faced the driest year in three decades in 2023, per the UN weather agency

2023 was the driest year in more than three decades for the world’s #rivers, as the record-hot year underpinned a drying up of #water flows and contributed to prolonged droughts in some places, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

https://apnews.com/article/water-united-nations-world-meteorological-organization-86183afa4d917fe9777f730159849c8f

#Drought has dried a major Amazon River tributary to its lowest ...

2024-10-04T22:02:43Z

#Drought has dried a major Amazon River tributary to its lowest level in over 122 years

The level of the Negro River at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 meters on Friday, compared to a normal level of about 21 meters. It is the lowest since records began 122 years ago.

#Brazil #AmazonRiver
https://apnews.com/article/brazil-amazon-drought-negro-river-rainforest-69d0930a06987973914c5ae24c1c05ff

Ohio #drought renews worries about massive use of #water for ...

2024-09-26T21:19:35Z

Ohio #drought renews worries about massive use of #water for fracking

The driest summer in more than a decade prompted an #Ohio watershed district to take the unprecedented step of limiting the use of water for oil and gas fracking. Critics want more done to protect water resources.
https://energynews.us/2024/09/26/ohio-drought-renews-worries-about-massive-use-of-water-for-fracking/

Drought largely worsened in #Canada and the U.S., but eased in ...

2024-09-17T20:31:11Z

Drought largely worsened in #Canada and the U.S., but eased in #Mexico over the past month according to the North American Drought Monitor. 30.04% of Canada was in #drought (D1-D4) at the end of August. 25.28% of the U.S. and 29.09% of Mexico were in drought, respectively.
#NorthAmericanDroughtMonitor #DroughtMonitor
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/NADM/Home.aspx

Namibia to cull 83 elephants and distribute meat to people ...

2024-08-27T14:50:59Z

Namibia to cull 83 elephants and distribute meat to people affected by #drought

Southern Africa is facing its worst drought in decades, with #Namibia having exhausted 84% of its food reserves last month, according to the United Nations. Nearly half of Namibia's population is expected to experience high levels of #foodinsecurity in the coming months.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/namibia-cull-83-elephants-distribute-meat-people-affected-by-drought-2024-08-27/

Drought expanded widely in areas west of the Mississippi River, ...

2024-08-08T14:06:19Z

Drought expanded widely in areas west of the Mississippi River, but eased to the east. #Drought expanded to cover 21.49% of the contiguous US, up from 19.92% last week.

#DroughtMonitor #USDroughtMonitor

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx