#Colorado residents face earliest #WaterRestrictions ever — a harbinger of worse to come

Nearly every snow basin in the Mountain West had one of its warmest winters on record and is well behind normal for water supplies.

March 27, 2026, 9:11 AM EDT
By Evan Bush

"As a result of a #SnowDrought and a #HeatWave that have both set records, some Colorado residents face the earliest restrictions on their water use ever imposed.

"#DenverWater announced Wednesday that it is seeking a 20% cut in water use, asking people to turn off automatic watering systems until mid-May and restricting the watering of trees and shrubs to twice a week.

" 'The situation is quite serious,' said Todd Hartman, a spokesperson for the utility. 'We’re in such a dire situation that we could be coming back to the public in two or three months and saying you’re limited to one day a week.'

"It is the earliest in the year that Denver Water has ever issued a restriction, Hartman said.

"Colorado’s #snowpack peaked at extremely low levels on March 12 — nearly a month earlier than usual — then cratered during the recent heat wave that cooked nearly every state in the West.

" 'We already had the lowest snowpack we’ve seen since at least 1981, and now, with the heat wave conditions, we’ve already lost about 40% of the statewide snowpack' since the March 12 peak, said Peter Goble, Colorado’s assistant state climatologist. 'Conditions are looking more like late April or early May.' "

Read more:
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/colorado-earliest-water-restrictions-ever-snow-drought-rcna265377

#USWx #WesternUS #Drought #ClimateCrisis #WaterIsLife #ClimateChange

Record-smashing heat spreads: 'Basically the entire US is going to be hot'

by SETH BORENSTEIN, March 23, 2026

"After smashing March heat records in 14 states and the U.S. as a whole, the gigantic #HeatDome that's baked the Southwest is creeping eastward and may end up being one of the most expansive heat waves in American history, meteorologists and weather historians said.

"And it's not going away for awhile, maybe not till the middle of the next week as April starts, said meteorologist Gregg Gallina of the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center."

[..]

"The physical area of this heat wave likely dwarfs two other historic heat waves — one in 2012 in the Upper Midwest and Northeast and another in 2021 in the Pacific Northwest — according to weather historian Chris Burt, author of the book '#ExtremeWeather.' It may not be as large as the #DustBowl #HeatWaves of 1936, but that was a series of heat waves over two months during summer, not a single big event like now, Burt said."

Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/record-smashing-heat-spreads-basically-the-entire-us-is-going-to-be-hot/ar-AA1ZeTzM?

#USWx #Heatwave #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming

Record-shattering March scorcher: 70 million to bake in summerlike #HeatDome into weekend

Record-challenging heat will surge across the Southwest this week as a stubborn heat dome sends temperatures into the 90s and even past 100 degrees in some cities, levels more typical of late spring or early summer.

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Published Mar 16, 2026 2:39 PM EDT | Updated Mar 16, 2026 3:55 PM EDT

" Much of the Southwest will jump from springlike conditions to summerlike heat this week, with temperatures climbing well into the 90s in many areas and even topping 100 degrees in some locations which are more typical of early summer. The heat dome will have staying power and may not begin to weaken until this weekend to early next week.

A burst of summerlike heat will build across the Southwest this week, pushing temperatures in many areas into the 90s and some past 100 degrees. Monthly records may be challenged, and the heat could hold into the weekend or early next week"

Read more:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-forecasts/record-shattering-march-scorcher-70-million-to-bake-in-summerlike-heat-dome-into-weekend/1873771

#USWx #SouthwestWx #ClimateChange #RecordHeat #MarchHeatWave #HeatWave #LosAngeles #LasVegas #PhoenixAZ #PalmSpringsCA #ClimateChangeIsReal

Nine states had their warmest winter ever recorded

In addition to a lack of snowfall compared to the historical average, these nine states had their warmest year on record.

By Jesse Ferrell, Mar 11, 2026

"Winter barely showed up the way it usually does for millions of people from #Oregon to #Texas. Nine states logged their warmest meteorological winter on record, defined as Dec. 1 through the end of February. These dates are agreed upon by meteorologists for record-keeping and comparison purposes, but the historical average dates of the lowest temperatures varies from city to city.

"NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, which has records back to 1895, said this winter was the warmest in Oregon, #Nevada, #Arizona, #Utah, #Wyoming, #Colorado, #NewMexico, Texas and #Oklahoma."

Read more:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/winter-weather/nine-states-had-their-warmest-winter-ever-recorded/1871239

#USWx #ExtremeHeat #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeIsReal #ClimateDiary

Summerlike heat dome to send #Southwest temperatures soaring past 100 F

A strengthening #HeatDome will send temperatures soaring into the 90s and past 100 degrees across the Southwest, threatening records, accelerating snowmelt and raising #wildfire risk now, then #WaterSupply concerns later.

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Mar 13, 2026

"Temperatures will climb well into the 90s, with some areas forecast to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit through next week. While those numbers may not seem extreme for the southwestern United States, they are running one to two months ahead of historical averages and could have implications for wildfire risk and water supplies across the interior Southwest later this year.

"A persistent area of high pressure at multiple levels of the atmosphere, known as a heat dome, will intensify in the coming days and may be slow to break down."

Read more:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-forecasts/summerlike-heat-dome-to-send-southwest-temperatures-soaring-past-100-f/1872946

#USWx #ExtremeTemperatures #HeatWave #RecordHeat #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel

Spin the #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel and see where it lands!

US weather to go nuts with blizzard, polar vortex, heat dome, atmospheric river all at once

By SETH BORENSTEIN
Updated 12:03 AM EDT, March 13, 2026

"Nearly every part of the United States is getting walloped by wild weather or just about to be.

"Days of downpours have begun in #Hawaii. The #Southwest will soon bake with day after day of record 100-degree-plus (38 Celsius-plus) #heat. Two storms will dump snow by the foot over northern #GreatLakes states. And the dreaded #PolarVortex will again invade the Midwest and East with soul-crushing #ArcticChill.

"This forecast of extremes comes as weather whiplash already hit much of the East. On Wednesday, Washington, D.C. residents walked around in shorts in record-breaking 86 degrees Fahrenheit (about 30 Celsius). On Thursday, it snowed.

" 'All of the country, even if you’re not necessarily seeing extremes, are going to see generally changing from cold to warm, or warm to cold to warm,' said meteorologist Marc Chenard of the weather service’s Weather Prediction Center in Maryland.

"Former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist Ryan Maue said he expects extreme weather in all 50 states."

Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/heat-dome-snow-blizzard-cold-polar-flooding-55e3baf6877e81ee1961aade3cb361c3

#ExtremeWeather #USWeather #USWx #TemperatureSwings #RecordHeat #Blizzards #ClimateChange #ClimateChangeIsReal
#ThanksExxon! #BigOilAndGas #Oiligarchy

I cannot stress this enough. It is too warm and too humid in too many areas of the U.S. Severe weather is expected on March 10th and 11th. But this goes for all of Spring:

Central Plains: You know what to do, but that can be dangerous, too. Don't get complacent. I know the watches and warnings are often false alarms and you have stuff to do. I get it. Just be as aware as you can.

Southern states: Watching the tornado from your front porch is not a sport. Find a different hobby. Please. We just want you to be safe.

Northern states: You saw what happened in Michigan. It's hard to say which states are exempt from tornadoes anymore. Think about a safe place for you, your family, and your pets, just in case.

Recently I learned that if you have a storm shelter, especially separate from your home, you can register its location with authorities.

#US #USWx #SevereStorms

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2026/03/09/tornadoes-storms-central-us-forecast/89064227007/

Research shows 41 US states are getting warmer, all in slightly different ways
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-states-warmer-slightly-ways.html

(Fascinating study! States are warming differently depending on their region - some states are warming in their cold and warm days while others are just warming in one extreme)
#ClimateChange #Climate #USwx

Deadly #Colorado, #Kansas pileups, fast-moving Plains #wildfires fueled by #DangerousWinds

#BlowingDust created near-zero visibility on I-25 near Pueblo, killing 4 people, while the same powerful #windstorm fueled fast-moving wildfires and triggered additional crashes across the Plains.

By Emilee Speck, AccuWeather staff writer & Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Feb 17, 2026

"Powerful winds kicking up dust across the Plains contributed to multiple fatal crashes and sparked rapidly spreading wildfires on Tuesday as dry grasses fueled fast-moving flames.

"Heavy winds created dangerous 'brown out' conditions along Interstate 25 near Pueblo, Colorado, on the morning of Feb. 17, with a massive multi-vehicle crash happening amid low to near-zero visibility. The Colorado State Patrol responded around 10:02 a.m. MST to the crash on southbound I-25 at milepost 92, just south of Pueblo Boulevard. Preliminary findings indicate more than 30 vehicles were involved, including six semis.

"Authorities have confirmed four fatalities, and 29 people were transported to hospitals, though the extent of their injuries remains unknown."

[...]

"[W]est of Oakley, #Kansas, another multi-vehicle pileup occurred on I-70 during low visibility caused by blowing dust, underscoring the widespread travel hazards created by the powerful windstorm. Winds in the area were gusting around 60 mph at the time the crash was reported.

"In #Oklahoma, a fast-growing wildfire in the Oklahoma panhandle, east of Beaver, quickly spread into Kansas."

Read more:
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/deadly-colorado-kansas-pileups-fast-moving-plains-wildfires-fueled-by-dangerous-winds/1864790

#USWx #ExtremeWx #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Duststorms #ExtremeWeather #ClimateChangeIsReal #ClimateChangeWeatherWheel