Excessive drought

Washington Post -   January is known for cold weather, snow and a lack of daylight. It’s not known for drought.  But that’s exactly what’s going on across much of the United States.

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More than two-thirds of the country is facing unusual dryness or drought, stretching from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, touching every state except California. The stretch since July has been the driest period nationally since 2012.

The drought has come with record-low snowfall and unseasonably warm conditions across the West — including Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. In these parts of the country, snowpack typically develops during the winter months — helping drive the economy — and then melts in the spring, which is key for water supply and lowering wildfire risk, as it keeps landscape wetter and less prone to fire. But winter conditions so far have not cooperated.