drought News

Drought Snarls Mississippi River Transit in Blow to Farmers

ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER (AP) — Adam Thomas starts harvesting soybeans on his Illinois farm when the dew burns off in the morning. This year, dry weather accelerated the work, allowing him to start early. His problem was getting the …

Fire-Stricken Rural New Mexico Warily Eyes Insurance Fight

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Manuel and Marcy Silva combed through the charred rubble that used to be their home, searching for any salvageable bits in the wake of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history. Manuel found two of his …

Low Water Disrupts Industry Along Lower Mississippi River

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Plummeting water levels in the lower Mississippi River are projected to drop even further in the weeks ahead, a projection shows, dampening the region’s economic activity and potentially threatening jobs in one of the country’s poorest …

California Braces for Dry Winter as Western Drought Drags on

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The past three years have been California’s driest on record and state officials said Monday that they’re preparing for the streak to continue. The official water year concluded Friday, marking an end to a period that …

Drought in Western States Becomes Hot Button Campaign Issue

In a midterm campaign season dominated by inflation, abortion and crime, there’s another issue that is becoming more urgent in Western states: drought. The topic of water historically has played little to no role in campaign ads in much of …

Colorado River Nearing Crisis Point 100 Years After Compact

The intensifying crisis facing the Colorado River amounts to what is fundamentally a math problem. The 40 million people who depend on the river to fill up a glass of water at the dinner table or wash their clothes or …

More Rainfall After Downpours Flooded Rhode Island Streets

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The heavy rain that caused street flooding and forced the closure of major roads in Rhode Island on Labor Day continued on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 11 inches of rain had fallen …

California Wildfires Prompt Evacuations amid Heat Wave

CASTAIC, Calif. (AP) — California wildfires chewed through rural areas north of Los Angeles and east of San Diego on Thursday, racing through bone-dry brush and prompting evacuations as the state sweltered under a heat wave that could last through …

Weather Whiplash: Summer Lurches from Drought to Flood

Parts of northern Texas, mired in a drought labeled as extreme and exceptional, are flooding under torrential rain. In a drought. Sound familiar? It should. The Dallas region is just the latest drought-suffering-but-flooded locale during a summer of extreme weather …

Massachusetts Marina Fire, Sparked by Gas Vapors, Accidental

MATTAPOISETT, Mass. (AP) — Gasoline vapors ignited by spark during a gas tank replacement project on a boat was the likely cause of a major fire at a Massachusetts marina last week that destroyed buildings, vehicles and boats and sent …