drought

At less than 140,000 square miles, snow cover across the region was the lowest ever recorded on February 1 in the satellite record, which goes back to 2001. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) call it the “worst snowpack on record.”

Legislation based around “chemtrail” conspiracy theories was killed by lawmakers, although there’s still a narrow window for it to resurface. Meanwhile, the state's approval for cloud seeding, which is at the root of the conspiracies, is moving forward.

Across the Mountain West, groundwater is the unseen force keeping springs flowing, wetlands green, and desert plants alive. Now, a new interactive tool is making that hidden water easier to see.

As much of the Mountain West faces another dry winter, researchers are turning their attention underground to the water many communities rely on but rarely see.

Cold temperatures have settled over much of the Mountain West this winter, but precipitation has been harder to come by, leaving large parts of the region unusually dry for late January.

At a key meeting to discuss the river's future management, federal officials lay out tools for dealing with falling reservoir levels.

Wildfires have grown substantially in size in recent decades, but they’re also burning much more intensely, with high severity areas growing much faster than fires overall. New research projects additional significant jumps in the scale of wildfires that kill most trees unless major management measures - like prescribed fire - are carried out.

Options range from education to hard limits.

A new study shows Nevada’s groundwater — and the ecosystems that rely on it — is under growing strain. Researchers have mapped out solutions that could help and serve as a guide for other Mountain West states.

AI data centers use large amounts of water for cooling. And many are being built in the drought-stricken Mountain West, sparking concerns over water supplies.