Scientists say the West's drought is a clear sign of how the climate crisis affects not only weather, but water supply, food production and electricity generation.
Drought map
More than 25 percent of the West is in an exceptional drought, which is the most severe category used by the US Drought Monitor.
US Drought Monitor/CNN
More than 91 percent of the West is in drought this week, according to the US Drought Monitor, with five states entirely in drought conditions: California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, and Montana.
The drought has also expanded from the West into the the coastal regions of the East. Still, California drought remains significant and there has been little change in the past few weeks, with nearly half of the state in exceptional drought, the Drought Monitor's most severe category.
The West experienced extremely low rain and snowfall over the past year, compounded by drastically high temperatures. Less rain and increasing heat waves have led directly to drought conditions and water shortages.
CNN
The West experienced extremely low rain and snowfall over the past year, compounded by drastically high temperatures. Less rain and increasing heat waves have led directly to drought conditions and water shortages.
"The increase in precipitation, related to the onset of the wet season, along with much cooler temperatures resulted in a large decrease in the number of large wildfires throughout the West during mid-October," according to the US Drought Monitor.
Preliminary 7-day average streamflows are shown as of July 8 compared to historical data for each site on the same day. Sites with no data or fewer than 30 years of comparison data omitted.
CNN
Streamflow, a measure of how much water is carried by rivers and streams, is another significant indicator of drought and its impact.
As drought conditions have worsened in 2021, hundreds of stream and river locations are experiencing below-average flow. Fishing restrictions have also been put in place on many rivers in Montana due to low flows and warm waters.
