Western Drought Sparks Wildfire Fears, Threatens Food and Water Supply

Drought in the contiguous United States has reached record levels for this time of year, according to weather data. More than 61% of the Lower 48 states is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought. This includes 97% of the Southeast and two-thirds of the West, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. It's the highest level for this time of year since the drought monitor began in 2000.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's comprehensive Palmer Drought Severity Index hit its highest level for March since records started in 1895. Last month was the third-driest month recorded regardless of time of year, trailing only July and August 1934.

Much of the West has had exceptionally low levels of snow in the first few months of the year due to record heat. New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah are contending with record-low snowpack, federal records show. Experts warn that this historic snow drought could bring water shortages and wildfires in the months ahead.

A climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, Brian Fuchs, said a separate drought has put the South from Texas all the way to the East Coast into a drought that coincides with the West. NOAA calculated that it would take 19 inches of rain in one month to break the drought in eastern Texas.

The National Interagency Fire Center warned that the potential for significant fires would be higher than normal for parts of the Southwest later in the spring, in part due to low snowpack. UCLA hydroclimatologist Park Williams said fire tends to respond to heat and drought in an exponential manner.

Arizona's cacti are blooming months early, and the worry about water has already started, said Kathy Jacobs, director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions at the University of Arizona.

Yale Climate Connections meteorologist Jeff Masters said his biggest concern is what the drought will do to agriculture and then food prices. If America has a poor crop year due to the drought, it could be a global problem. A strong natural El Niño weather oscillation is predicted, which often reduces crop yields in other parts of the globe, such as India.

Gasoline and diesel have never been as expensive in Germany, with diesel prices rising above €2.43 per liter. The German government has agreed to reduce the fuel tax by €0.17 and predicts a tax shortfall of €1.6 billion as a result. In the Philippines, diesel and gasoline prices have doubled since February. The government has limited itself to suspending the tax on liquefied petroleum gas.