Ars Technica News12h ago
2026's historic snow drought is bad news for the West https://arstechni.ca/FLbm #anthropogenicclimatechange #climatechange #megadrought #syndication #snowpack #Science #drought
2026's historic snow drought is bad news for the West

For much of the Western US, winter 2026 was the year snow never came.

Ars Technica
Show threadDoomsdaysCWFeb 23

@EVDHmn I'm not sure about that, but apparently there could have been a #MaunderMinimum triggering the #Megadrought during the #MingDynasty (which I did not know about)!

Excerpt: "Our results indicate that the late Ming megadrought from 1625 – 1644 CE occurred in both the northern and southern parts of the East Asian monsoon region in China. However, variations in the onset, duration, and magnitude of this event differ between regions. The combination of factors such as Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies, weakened solar activity, and large-scale volcanic eruptions may have contributed to the occurrence of the late Ming megadrought. These factors are also identified as key drivers of interannual to decadal fluctuations in drought in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Our reconstruction provides an historical context for the development of adaptive measures to mitigate future drought impacts in the region."

Source:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01602-5

Late Ming Dynasty weak monsoon induced a harmonized megadrought across north-to-south China - Communications Earth & Environment

The late Ming megadrought across north-to-south China, lasting from 1625-1644 CE, was influenced by Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies, weakened solar activity, and volcanic eruptions, according to reconstruction of the Yangtze River's water balance using tree-ring chronology.

Nature
purescience_newsSep 13, 2025
Pacific Ocean changes may 'lock in' US megadrought for decades #Science #EarthSciences #Climatology #Megadrought #PacificOcean #ClimateChange
https://purescience.news/article?id=949453
Pacific Ocean changes may 'lock in' US megadrought for decades

A major cycle of Pacific Ocean temperatures is shifting due to climate change, and that could drive decades of megadrought in the western US

Pure Science News
Chuck DarwinAug 14, 2025

A new wave of climate research is sounding a stark warning:
Human activity may be driving drought more intensely
– and more directly
– than previously understood.

The southwestern United States has been in a historic #megadrought for much of the past two decades,
with its reservoirs including lakes Mead and Powell dipping to record lows
and legal disputes erupting over rights to use water from the Colorado River.

This drought has been linked to the 👉 "Pacific Decadal Oscillation",
a climate pattern that swings between wet and dry phases every few decades.
Since a phase change in the early 2000s, the region has endured a dry spell of epic proportions.

The PDO was thought to be a natural phenomenon,
governed by unpredictable natural ocean and atmosphere fluctuations.
But new research published in the journal Nature suggests that’s no longer the case.
Working with hundreds of climate model simulations, our team of atmosphere, earth and ocean scientists found that
💥the PDO is now being strongly influenced by human factors and has been since the 1950s.
It should have oscillated to a wetter phase by now -- but instead it has been stuck.
🔥Our results suggest that drought could become the new normal for the region unless human-driven warming is halted
https://theconversation.com/climate-models-reveal-how-human-activity-may-be-locking-the-southwest-into-permanent-drought-262837

Climate models reveal how human activity may be locking the Southwest into permanent drought

The drought has been linked to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, a natural climate pattern. A new study finds global warming is now influencing that natural phenomenon.

The Conversation
The Count of KrigsvoldJul 22, 2025
The American Southwest is facing a megadrought that could last until 2100, scientists warn—posing serious risks to water, food, and power. #Megadrought #ClimateCrisis #Southwest https://www.newsweek.com/southwest-uss-alarming-megadrought-could-last-until-2100-2099663
Southwest US's Alarming 'Megadrought' Could Last Until 2100

"Water managers need to start planning for the possibility that this drought isn't just a rough patch—it could be the new reality," said Timothy Shanahan.

Newsweek
Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Jul 22, 2025
Southwestern #drought likely to continue through 2100, research finds
Southwestern #US is experiencing a #megadrought resulting in the #aridification of the landscape, a decades-long drying of the region brought on by climate change and the overconsumption of the region’s #water.
Using an ensemble of historical and future #climate models forecasting climate and precipitation patterns until 2100, they found that the PDO-like negative phase continues through this century.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/07/southwestern-drought-likely-to-continue-through-2100-research-finds/
Southwestern drought likely to continue through 2100, research finds

Weather patterns that drive drought in the Southwest may persist for several decades.

Ars Technica
The Count of KrigsvoldJul 19, 2025
The American Southwest is facing a megadrought that could last until 2100, scientists warn—posing serious risks to water, food, and power. #Megadrought #ClimateCrisis #Southwest https://www.newsweek.com/southwest-uss-alarming-megadrought-could-last-until-2100-2099663
Southwest US's Alarming 'Megadrought' Could Last Until 2100

"Water managers need to start planning for the possibility that this drought isn't just a rough patch—it could be the new reality," said Timothy Shanahan.

Newsweek
Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Jul 16, 2025
The West’s #Megadrought Might Not Let Up for Decades, Study Suggests
Not in 12 centuries has the region been so dry for so long. Clues from another dry spell 6,000 years ago are helping scientists understand what’s driving the latest one, and why it’s been so unrelenting. It seems to be the result of a pattern of #Pacific #Ocean temperatures that is “stuck” because of #globalwarming.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/climate/southwest-megadrought.html
https://archive.ph/GdGhH
#drought #climatechange #paleoclimatology
The West’s Megadrought Might Not Let Up for Decades, Study Suggests

Clues from another dry spell 6,000 years ago are helping scientists understand what’s driving the latest one, and why it’s been so unrelenting.

The New York Times
GerretMay 28, 2025
In 1993, Zimbabwe experienced a severe drought, one of several during that period. Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall based on its width of 1,708 meters (5,604 ft) and height of 108 meters (354 ft), creating under normal climate conditions the world's largest sheet of falling water.

📍 Victoria Falls
📷 Filmscan 35mm (basic point-and-shoot camera from the early 90's)
📆 1993

#photo #photography #foto #fotografie #baobab #victoriafalls #travel #35mm #travelphotography #nature #megadrought
CelloMom On CarsMar 25, 2025

"The outlook calls for continued dry conditions in the #Southwest, where global warming is a key driver of a long-term #megadrought that is already disrupting water supplies to cities and nationally important agricultural zones.

The outlook is bad news for Colorado River and Rio Grande flows, and for soil moisture and vegetation health across the region. Drying vegetation heightens concerns for another bad wildfire season in the Southwest."

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24032025/noaa-critical-drought-warnings-spring-climate-outlook/

Despite Staff and Budget Cuts, NOAA Issues Critical Drought Warnings in Its Spring Climate Outlook - Inside Climate News

The embattled agency continues to disseminate crucial updates in a hostile political environment, while scientists warn that cutting climate intelligence is folly at a time of escalating climate extremes.

Inside Climate News