Rain in Plains while Lake Mead is lowest level since 1937
Widespread rain – from 3-6 inches, or more, in some places – fell in the central and southern Plains, the heart of the Wheat Belt, over the past month, said the weekly Drought Monitor. Officials said they want to “better assess the impacts from recent precipitation and to consider areas ripe for downgrades next week.” The rains arrived too late to improve the condition of the winter wheat crop but delayed harvest and helped weeds sprout.
Lake Mead, east of Las Vegas, Nevada, is expected this week to reach its lowest level since 1937, when the man-made lake behind Hoover Dam was being filled. Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. Multi-year drought is the culprit. The government said there is enough water to continue, at least through 2015, full deliveries to “an area that’s home to some 40 million people and the cities of Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles,” said the Associated Press.