U.S. climate change: These maps tell the story of two Americas
In New York City, a tropical storm delivered record-breaking rains this weekend. Heavy downpours caused devastating flash floods in central Tennessee, tearing apart houses and killing more than 20 people. Yet, California and much of the West remained in the deepest drought in at least two decades, the product of a long-term precipitation shortfall and temperatures that are much hotter than usual. This divide, a wetter East and a drier West, reflects a broader pattern observed in the United States in recent decades.
Related articles:
- Water News Network: Blog: Drought, water supply and climate change in the San Diego region
- Time: Extreme heat in American West shows climate change is here
- Audubon Blog: Drought? This is what climate change looks like in the West
- ProPublica: We looked for some of the hottest places in California. We found climate injustice in a nutshell
- CNN: Climate change be damned. More Americans are moving to high-risk areas
- The New York Times: The Plains and Upper Midwest are growing drier as drought deepens in the West