For a two-year period, an extreme drought across Colorado and much of the West dried farmers’ fields, lowered water levels in reservoirs, fueled extreme wildfires and left streams dangerously low. Historically, an exceptional drought like the one that plagued the Western U.S. from 2020 to 2022 happened less than once every 1,000 years. But warmer temperatures caused by climate change could make similar megadroughts occur once every six years by the end of the century if humans continue business as usual, according to research published earlier this month in the journal Science Advances.

Other Colorado article:

• The Colorado Sun: How much water do Colorado communities actually need? In one, surprisingly little.