[ExI] West’s megadrought worsens to driest in at least 1,200 years

[BillK]

By — Seth Borenstein, Associated Press
Science Feb 14, 2022

<https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/west-megadrought-worsens-to-driest-in-at-least-1200-years>

Quotes:
The American West’s megadrought deepened so much last year that it is
now the driest in at least 1,200 years and is a worst-case climate
change scenario playing out live, a new study finds.

A dramatic drying in 2021 — about as dry as 2002 and one of the driest
years ever recorded for the region — pushed the 22-year drought past
the previous record-holder for megadroughts in the late 1500s and
shows no signs of easing in the near future, according to a study
Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Williams said there is a direct link between drought and heat and the
increased wildfires that have been devastating the West for years.
Fires need dry fuel that drought and heat promote.
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Not a good outlook for the western states.

BillK