A Terrible Winter for Snow Heads Into a Bleak Summer of Drought
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Erik Fritchman, a farmer in Cedaredge, Colorado, is uprooting young apple and peach trees due to severe water shortages this spring, choosing to save resources rather than watch the trees die.
- In Kearny, Arizona, the mayor has issued a dire warning that the town could run out of water by July, urging residents to adopt extreme water-saving measures such as showering together and reusing clothes multiple times.
- These situations highlight a growing water crisis across the American West, driven by one of the hottest and driest winters on record.
- Experts caution that this drought and heat are likely indicators of a continuing trend toward hotter, drier conditions in the region.