You're living amid a U.S. megadrought

There's a reason why the two largest reservoirs in the U.S. are wavering around half full, a far cry from the bountiful, wet days of decades past. It's why water managers in the Southwest have agreed to mandatory water cuts, and why millions of annual visitors to the Hoover Dam can't ignore the telltale white ring around Lake Mead, revealing where the water once reached during more plentiful times.

Much of Western America is mired in a historically unprecedented 19-year drought, though there have been wet spells within the persistent dry period. But this isn't a normal drought. Previous research has suggested the Southwest might be in a bonafide megadrought — a fuzzy term referencing the most severe and enduring of droughts over the last millennium. Read more...

More about Science, Global Warming, Drought, Climate Change, and Megadrought

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