Global warming has been fueling disasters in the region for years. Now, an early heat wave and severe drought are threatening lives and leaving water

Climate Change Batters the West Before Summer Even Begins

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2021-06-17 15:00:08

Global warming has been fueling disasters in the region for years. Now, an early heat wave and severe drought are threatening lives and leaving water in perilously short supply.

The sunset over Phoenix, Ariz., tinted by smoke from nearby wildfires on Tuesday, when temperatures climbed to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Credit... Ash Ponders for The New York Times

A heat dome is baking Arizona and Nevada, where temperatures have soared past 115 degrees this week and doctors are warning that people can get third-degree burns from the sizzling asphalt.

At Lake Mead, which supplies water for 25 million people in three southwestern states and Mexico, water levels have plunged to their lowest point since the reservoir was filled in the 1930s. In California, farmers are abandoning their thirstiest crops to save others, and communities are debating whether to ration tap water.

In Texas, electricity grids are under strain as residents crank their air-conditioners, with utilities begging customers to turn off appliances to help avert blackouts. In Arizona, Montana and Utah, wildfires are blazing.

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