Parched
Current global drought conditions (Standard Precipitation Index)
EDITOR’S NOTE
The U.S. West is in the midst of a two-decade-long megadrought, the most extreme in at least 1,200 years. Other regions around the world are experiencing similar periods of extreme dryness. Reservoirs and snowpacks are at dangerously low levels. Hydroelectric facilities are at risk of shutting down. Cities are facing water shortages. And ecosystems are parched, raising the risk of wildfires and ecological damage. But amid all this chaos, there are also innovative solutions, policies, and technologies being tested to adapt to this drier future. Follow Grist as it delves into all aspects of drought — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
In This Series
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![a woman pets a dog near a low river with lots of dead dry grass]()
![a woman pets a dog near a low river with lots of dead dry grass]()
Why drought looks different depending on your region
The Northeast's 'flash drought' is a reminder that dryness isn't just a U.S. West problem.
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![Lake Mead, surrounded by rock formations with bleached]()
![Lake Mead, surrounded by rock formations with bleached]()
How Colorado River Basin tribes are managing water amid historic drought
As the federal government calls for cuts, Indigenous leaders work to protect tribal water rights.
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Study: Extinction threatens up to 16% of native US tree species
The United States recognizes eight trees as endangered or threatened. New research suggests that number should be over 100.
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![Yangtze River drought]()
![Yangtze River drought]()
As drought dries up the Yangtze river, China loses hydropower
No rain and a 70-day heat wave spur crop failures, power cuts, and dangerously-low reservoirs across parts of China.
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![Aerial view of bleached sections of rock surrounding Lake Powell, showing the amount the water level has dropped due to climate change]()
![Aerial view of bleached sections of rock surrounding Lake Powell, showing the amount the water level has dropped due to climate change]()
Federal government announces historic water cuts as Colorado River falls to new lows
“The system is approaching a tipping point."
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![blue pipes with red turner valves stretch across the ground and into the sunset]()
![blue pipes with red turner valves stretch across the ground and into the sunset]()
Pipe dreams: Why far-fetched Western water projects won’t go away
There are at least half a dozen major Western water pipeline projects under consideration, ranging from ambitious to outlandish.
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![Collage: newspaper clippings with headlines about drought; photos of a yard with brown grass and a hose, cracked earth, a faucet dripping water, a field of dead almond trees, and a mountain with barely any snowpack on it; a circle made of wavy yellow lines is on top of the center of the collage]()
![Collage: newspaper clippings with headlines about drought; photos of a yard with brown grass and a hose, cracked earth, a faucet dripping water, a field of dead almond trees, and a mountain with barely any snowpack on it; a circle made of wavy yellow lines is on top of the center of the collage]()
How climate change spurs megadroughts
The curious connection between the sky’s “thirstiness” and the dry spell devastating the western U.S.
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![two firefighters stand looking at a huge red blaze]()
![two firefighters stand looking at a huge red blaze]()
As the West burns, House passes major drought and wildfire resilience package
The legislation would prevent fires, bump pay for firefighters, and protect water resources.
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![Five outdoor thermometers arranged left to right from smallest size to largest, with the temperature rising from 70 degrees in the first to 120 in the last]()
![Five outdoor thermometers arranged left to right from smallest size to largest, with the temperature rising from 70 degrees in the first to 120 in the last]()
Summer has transformed into ‘danger season,’ scientists warn
Hurricanes, heat, fires, smoke, drought: Is it time to stop sugar-coating summer?
