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Mighty Rio Grande now a trickle under siege. A region confronts changing weather patterns that have shrunk snowpacks, raised temperatures, spurred evaporation and reduced reservoirs to record lows.
Dry, warm winter leaves Western US snowpack at record low levels. Meager precipitation and a premature spring thaw have left the Western mountain snowpack, a key source of fresh surface water for the region, at record low levels.
Every day is fire season in drought-era California, experts say. Traditionally, the scorching, parched autumn was the period of greatest concern about wildfires, but experts say that after four desiccated years almost every day in the Golden State can be considered fire season.