Drought Archives

RESEARCH ARTICLE: Low-flow, high stakes: CAP Fellows review climate-driven flows and management across the US

September 24, 2026

From the USGS: In a new publication, the 2022-2024 Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral Fellows cohort explores how climate-driven low-flows in rivers...

YALE CLIMATE CONNECTIONS: The next water crisis is beneath our feet

Yale Climate Connections

Groundwater News

September 8, 2026

As droughts intensify and groundwater warms, contaminants can move into underground aquifers – threatening drinking water and agriculture. By Sanket...

COLORADO NEWSLINE: What climate science tells us about the causes of the Colorado River crisis

Colorado Newsline

Colorado River

August 26, 2026

Researchers have grown increasingly confident in global warming’s role in post-2000 ‘megadrought’ by Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline Elected officials from...

RESEARCH ARTICLE: Drought extremes are intensifying more rapidly than in the past

American Geophysical Union

Hydrology Research article

August 18, 2026

Twenty ensemble members from a 600-year climate simulation reveal that drought extremes are intensifying more rapidly than in the past...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: ‘Snow-eater’ heat waves adding to water woes plaguing the West

Courthouse News Service

Hydrology

August 7, 2026

Scientists developed a new method to better identify and understand the particular heat waves that cause abrupt snowmelt. By Carly...

GRIST: Wildfire prevention has always been a challenge in the West. Hotter, drier weather is making it worse.

Grist

Wildfires and watersheds

July 31, 2026

In an overheating era, the old ways of keeping fires from raging out of control may no longer work By...

UC IRVINE: As snowpack shrinks, Sierra Nevada mountain ponds undergo dramatic change

UC Irvine

Ecosystems

July 17, 2026

From UC Irvine: On a summer afternoon in the Sierra Nevada, a mountain pond can look calm and still, reflecting...

COURTHOUSE NEWS: Colorado River users continue to discuss conservation in drought-stricken year

Courthouse News Service

Colorado River

June 5, 2026

Amid drought, climate change, and overuse, the amount of water flowing in the Colorado River has decreased while the number...

INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS: Colorado River faces ‘devastating consequences’ if another dry winter lands, experts warn

Inside Climate News

Colorado River

June 3, 2026

Even a huge snowpack during the coming winter would only give the river basin states less than two years of...

THE CONVERSATION: The US is seeing stronger storms, so why are droughts getting worse?

The Conversation

Hydrology

May 26, 2026

By David Boutt, UMass Amherst About two-thirds of the U.S. is in some stage of drought in late spring 2026,...

WATER DESK: The driest year revisited: Five takeaways from 2002 for today’s Colorado River

The Water Desk

Colorado River

April 24, 2026

Experts weigh in on what we learned during the region’s worst drought on record, and how those lessons might help...

DWR: Record heat sizzled away the snow. Here’s how California is preparing for what’s ahead

Department of Water Resources (DWR)

Planning and management

April 9, 2026

From the Department of Water Resources: The Department of Water Resources found no measurable snow April 1 at a place...

THE CONVERSATION: What the historic snow drought means for water, wildfires and the future of the West

The Conversation

Wildfires and watersheds

March 26, 2026

By Alejandro N. Flores, Boise State University Across much of the Western United States, winter 2026 was the year the...

NIDIS: New NOAA El Niño-Southern Oscillation Index Supports Drought Early Warning

NIDIS

Hydrology

March 12, 2026

By Joel Lisonbee, CIRES/NOAA/NIDIS The Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) has traditionally been NOAA’s official measure, or index, to track the...

EDWARD RING: California’s drought is over, but we still must invest in water supply projects

Edward Ring

Commentary Planning and management

January 31, 2026

Commentary by Edward Ring, Director of Water and Energy Policy at the California Policy Center For the last 25 years,...