snowpack
Drought covers a quarter of U.S., thin snowpack in West
Five weeks into the year, the Agriculture Department declared natural disaster areas in nine states, from Idaho to California to Texas. In all, 256 counties - 8 percent of all counties in the nation - are eligible for low-interest agricultural loans and disaster relief programs, said the USDA. The weekly Drought Monitor says 28 percent of the contiguous United States is in drought, up nearly 2 points since the start of the year.
Paltry snowpack, dry January point to dry year in California
The snowpack in California's Sierra Nevada is 25 percent of normal for late January, "on par with some of the worst years on record," says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Storms dampen dry California, weather turns “more typical”
A rainy December is putting water into California's depleted reservoirs and snowpack on the Sierra Nevada, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
Winter storms not wet enough to dent California drought
Precipitation in late December and early January in California "did not provide enough moisture to dent long-term drought," says the weekly Drought Monitor.
Plant puts out flowers earlier to cope with climate change
A wild mustard plant that grows in the Rocky Mountains "alters its physical appearance and flowering time in response to different environmental conditions, suggesting some species can quickly shape-shift to cope with climate change without having to migrate or evolve," says Dartmouth College.
Drought-hit California has record processing-tomato crop
Growers in California harvested a record crop of tomatoes for processing, the thick-skinned varieties used in making soup and pasta sauces, says Bloomberg.
Wetter than normal outlook for Farm Belt, Northwest
The National Weather Service forecasts more precipitation than usual in the Midwest, the Plains and the Pacific Northwest for late April, which could delay spring planting but relieve dry conditions in the western Corn Belt and the central and southern Plains.