# Tavily Search Results: Dusty

**Query:** Latest US extreme weather  
**Topic:** news  
**Results:** 5  
**Date:** 2026-04-02 06:06:13

---

## 1. ‘On a whole other level’: rapid snow melt-off in American west stuns scientists - The Guardian

**URL:** [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/01/snowmelt-american-west](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/01/snowmelt-american-west)  
**Score:** 0.8732

### Summary

“March is often a big month for snowstorms,” Schumacher said. “Instead of getting snow we would normally expect we got this unprecedented, way-off-the-scale warmth.”

More than 1,500 monthly high temperature records were broken in March and hundreds more tied. The event was “likely among the most statistically anomalous extreme heat events ever observed in the American south-west”, climate scientist Daniel Swain said in an analysis posted this week.

“Beyond the conspicuous ‘weirdness’ of it all,” Swain added, “the most consequential impact of our record-shattering March heat will likely be the decimation of the water year 2025-26 snowpack across nearly all of the American west.” [...] While Schumacher said he expects this year to be a standout one, the climate crisis is fueling warming trends that climate scientists have long warned will leave the west hotter and drier. Seasons with snow in the US west are shrinking while high fire risks stretch across more months.

“Climate change is going to result in a lot of these extreme events worsening,” said Dr Abby Frazier, a climatologist and assistant professor at Clark University, who added that compound events, where hazards overlap or occur in quick succession, are on the rise. The heat and the drought this year, served as a one-two punch, and will work together to produce greater dangers from fire. [...] The Colorado River has been overdrawn for more than a century but rising temperatures and lower precipitation are putting more pressure on the system that depended on by cities, farms, industries, and wildlife across the west. The extreme conditions have added more urgency and greater tensions to fraught negotiations over who will bear the brunt of badly needed cuts. Seven states that have blown past two key deadlines are still locked in a stalemate over how the river’s essential resources will be managed through a hotter and drier future.

### Full Content

[Skip to navigation](#navigation)[Skip to navigation](#navigation)

[Print subscriptions](https://support.theguardian.com/subscribe/weekly?REFPVID=undefined&INTCMP=undefined&acquisitionData=%7B%22source%22%3A%22GUARDIAN_WEB%22%2C%22componentId%22%3A%22PrintSubscriptionsHeaderLink%22%2C%22componentType%22%3A%22ACQUISITIONS_HEADER%22%2C%22referrerUrl%22%3A%22%22%7D)

[Search jobs](https://jobs.theguardian.com)

[Sign in](https://profile.theguardian.com/signin?INTCMP=DOTCOM_NEWHEADER_SIGNIN&ABCMP=ab-sign-in&componentEventParams=componentType%3Didentityauthentication%26componentId%3Dguardian_signin_header)

# ‘On a whole other level’: rapid snow melt-off in American west stuns scientists

Experts say brutal March heat has left critical snowpack at record-low levels – and key basins in uncharted territory

Snow surveys taking place across the American west this week are offering a grim prognosis, after a historically warm winter and searing March temperatures left the critical snowpack at record-low levels across the region.

Experts warned that even as the heat begins to subside, the stunning pace of melt-off over the past month has left key basins in uncharted territory for the dry seasons ahead. Though there’s still potential for more snow in the forecast, experts said it will likely be too little too late.

“This year is on a whole other level,” said Colorado State University climatologist Dr Russ Schumacher, speaking about the intense heat that began rapidly melting the already sparse snowpack in March. “Seeing this year so far below any of the other years we have data for is very concerning.”

Acting as a water savings account of sorts, snowpacks are essential to water supply. Measurements taken across the west during the week of 1 April are viewed as important indicators of the peak amounts of water that might melt into reservoirs, rivers and streams, and across thirsty landscapes through the summer.

It’s not just the amount of snow left on mountaintops that’s concerning experts, but the amount of moisture still frozen within them. “Snow water equivalent” (SWE), a measurement of what could melt off to supply natural and manmade systems, is exceptionally low.

California’s Sierra Nevada had [just 4.9in of SWE, or 18% of average, as of Monday](https://cdec.water.ca.gov/snowapp/sweq.action), ahead of the state’s official 1 April survey,according to the state’s department of water resources. In the Colorado River headwaters, an important basin that supplies more than 40 million people across several states, along with 5.5 million acres of agriculture, 30 tribal nations, and parts of Mexico, had just over 4in of SWE on Monday, or 24% of average.That’s less than half what was previously considered the record low.

Schumacher said the incoming storm could slow the early melting but won’t be enough to pull the basins back from the brink. Snow water equivalent measurements going into April were at levels typically seen in May or June, after months of melt-off, according to Schumacher.

[The issue is extremely widespread](https://nwcc-apps.sc.egov.usda.gov/imap/#version=2&elements=&networks=!&states=!&basins=!&hucs=&minElevation=&maxElevation=&elementSelectType=any&activeOnly=true&activeForecastPointsOnly=false&hucLabels=false&hucIdLabels=false&hucParameterLabels=true&stationLabels=&overlays=&hucOverlays=2&basinOpacity=75&basinNoDataOpacity=25&basemapOpacity=100&maskOpacity=0&mode=data&openSections=parameter,date,basin,options,elements,location,networks&controlsOpen=true&popup=&popupMulti=&popupBasin=&base=esriNgwm&displayType=basin&basinType=2&dataElement=WTEQ&depth=-2&parameter=PCTAVG&frequency=DAILY&duration=I&customDuration=&dayPart=E&monthPart=E&forecastPubDay=1&forecastExceedance=50&useMixedPast=true&seqColor=1&divColor=7&scaleType=D&scaleMin=&scaleMax=&referencePeriodType=POR&referenceBegin=1991&referenceEnd=2020&minimumYears=20&hucAssociations=true&relativeDate=-1&lat=40.659&lon=-104.366&zoom=4.5). Data from a branch of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), which logs averages based on levels between 1991 and 2020, shows states across the southwest and intermountain west with eye-popping lows. The Great Basin had only 16% of average on Monday and the lower Colorado region, which includes most of Arizona and parts of Nevada, was at 10%. The Rio Grande, which covers parts of New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado, was at 8%.

“This year has the potential of being way worse than any of the years we have analogues for in the past,” Schumacher said.

## ‘Nothing short of shocking’

Even with near-normal precipitation across most of the west, every major river basin across the region was [grappling with snow drought when March began](https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/snow-drought-current-conditions-and-impacts-west-2026-03-12), according to federal analysts. Roughly 91% of stations reported below-median snow water equivalent, according to the last federal snow drought update compiled on 8 March. Water m

*[Content truncated...]*

---

## 2. Severe storms possible this week in swath of U.S. from Texas to Michigan - The Washington Post

**URL:** [https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/04/01/storm-tornado-texas-midwest/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026/04/01/storm-tornado-texas-midwest/)  
**Score:** 0.6206

### Summary

Democracy Dies in Darkness

# Severe storms possible this week in swath of U.S. from Texas to Michigan

Severe weather looks possible from Wednesday to Friday across a swath of the central U.S.

4 min

Make us preferred on Google

There’s an enhanced risk (Level 3 out of 5) for severe thunderstorms in parts of the Plains and North Texas on Wednesday. Tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds are all possible. (Ben Noll/the Washington Post; NOAA/SPC)

By Matthew Cappucci

 and

Ben Noll

After two days of smaller storms to kick off the workweek, severe weather is about to ramp up from Wednesday onward. Multiple days of strong to severe storms, including some with the potential for tornadoes, will impact the Great Plains, Corn Belt and parts of Texas.

---

### Full Content

Democracy Dies in Darkness

# Severe storms possible this week in swath of U.S. from Texas to Michigan

Severe weather looks possible from Wednesday to Friday across a swath of the central U.S.

4 min

[Make us preferred on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=washingtonpost.com)

There’s an enhanced risk (Level 3 out of 5) for severe thunderstorms in parts of the Plains and North Texas on Wednesday. Tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds are all possible. (Ben Noll/the Washington Post; NOAA/SPC)

By [Matthew Cappucci](https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/matthew-cappucci/)

 and

[Ben Noll](https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/ben-noll/)

After two days of smaller storms to kick off the workweek, severe weather is about to ramp up from Wednesday onward. Multiple days of strong to severe storms, including some with the potential for tornadoes, will impact the Great Plains, Corn Belt and parts of Texas.

---

---

## 3. Warming winters lead to more nitrate pollution in the drinking water near farms - AP News

**URL:** [https://apnews.com/article/iowa-nitrate-pollution-nitrogen-phosphorous-agriculture-water-d5c6659ec2a3758ef60da4f1bc8a2340](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-nitrate-pollution-nitrogen-phosphorous-agriculture-water-d5c6659ec2a3758ef60da4f1bc8a2340)  
**Score:** 0.6077

### Summary

3 MIN READ

Russia claims full control of Ukraine’s Luhansk region but Kyiv denies it ahead of US envoy talks

3 MIN READ

Scientists say one effect of Earth’s warming is more frequent extreme weather events, including drought and intense bursts of rainfall from an atmosphere that now holds more moisture than in the past.

Intense dryness followed by intense wetness means massive amounts of water moving through the soil, bringing farm chemicals like nitrogen with it, Glisan said.

Dairy cows feed at Blue Spruce Farm on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Bridport, Vt. (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)

Share

 Facebook
 Copy

  Link copied
 Email
 X
 LinkedIn
 Bluesky
 Flipboard
 Pinterest
 Reddit [...] See All Newsletters
 U.S.

  + Immigration
  + Weather
  + Education
  + Transportation
  + Abortion
  + LGBTQ+
  + Notable Deaths
   

  SECTIONS

  Immigration Weather Education Transportation Abortion LGBTQ+ Notable Deaths

  TOP STORIES

  - Judge says Penn must turn over information about Jewish employees in US discrimination probe
  - A US Marine is detained after TSA finds a live 25 mm explosive round in his checked bag
  - Reality TV star Joseph Duggar posts $600,000 bond in Florida child molestation case

  Newsletters

  The Morning Wire

  Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day.

  See All Newsletters

  AP QUIZZES

  Test Your News I.Q. — take today’s quiz
 Politics [...] SECTIONS

  Deportes Donald Trump

  TOP STORIES

  + El papa León XIV rechaza en Domingo de Ramos las afirmaciones de que Dios justifica la guerra
  + Trump arremete contra aliados de EEUU, dice que proteger el estrecho de Ormuz “no es asunto nuestro”
  + California lidera plan para añadir vitamina a tortillas y reducir defectos congénitos entre latinos
 Most watched videos
 Standards
 Quizzes
 Press Releases
 My Account
 AP News Code of Conduct
 + World

    - Iran war
    - Russia-Ukraine war
    - Español
    - China
    - Asia Pacific
    - Latin America
    - Europe
    - Africa
    - Middle East
  + U.S.

    - Immigration
    - Weather
    - Education
    - Transportation
    - Abortion
    - LGBTQ+
    - Notable Deaths
  + Politics

### Full Content

* [World](https://apnews.com/world-news) 

  [Iran war](https://apnews.com/hub/iran) [Russia-Ukraine war](https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine) [Español](https://apnews.com/hub/noticias) [China](https://apnews.com/hub/china) [Asia Pacific](https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific) [Latin America](https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america) [Europe](https://apnews.com/hub/europe) [Africa](https://apnews.com/hub/africa)

  TOP STORIES

  + [LIVE Trump claims Iran's president wants a ceasefire ahead of his address to Americans](https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-04-01-2026)
  + [US journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad](https://apnews.com/article/iraq-journalist-kidnapped-926840aa37ac059f05069e146d1fe17b)
  + [Sanctioned Russian tanker docks in Cuba after US allows passage despite energy blockade](https://apnews.com/article/cuba-russia-oil-sanctions-blockade-us-trump-1b69b79b322586503d08f28882e5b948)

  [The Morning Wire

  Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day.](/newsletters?id=Morning+Wire+Subscribers) [The Afternoon Wire

  Get caught up on what you may have missed throughout the day.](/newsletters?id=Afternoon+Wire)

  [See All Newsletters](/newsletters)
* [U.S.](https://apnews.com/us-news) 

  SECTIONS

  [Immigration](https://apnews.com/hub/immigration) [Weather](https://apnews.com/hub/weather) [Education](https://apnews.com/education) [Transportation](https://apnews.com/us-news/transportation) [Abortion](https://apnews.com/hub/abortion) [LGBTQ+](https://apnews.com/hub/lgbtq) [Notable Deaths](https://apnews.com/hub/obituaries)

  TOP STORIES

  + [Judge says Penn must turn over information about Jewish employees in US discrimination probe](https://apnews.com/article/eeoc-probe-penn-ac1f54c0d585f7d184383f955822ec68)
  + [A US Marine is detained after TSA finds a live 25 mm explosive round in his checked bag](https://apnews.com/article/marine-detained-california-airport-live-explosive-round-9c454c140e516da9f28823c3e749c454)
  + [Reality TV star Joseph Duggar posts $600,000 bond in Florida child molestation case](https://apnews.com/article/joseph-duggar-19-kids-counting-arrest-florida-69c6689f085ee0dc3de44583baf876d3)

  Newsletters

  [The Morning Wire

  Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day.](/newsletters?id=Morning+Wire+Subscribers)

  [See All Newsletters](/newsletters)

  AP QUIZZES

  [Test Your News I.Q. — take today’s quiz](/quizzes)
* [Politics](https://apnews.com/politics) 

  SECTIONS

  [2026 Elections](https://apnews.com/hub/elections) [Election Results](https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/) [Election calendar](https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/calendar/) [White House](https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump) [Congress](https://apnews.com/hub/congress) [Supreme Court](https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court) [The latest AP-NORC polls](https://apnews.com/projects/polling-tracker/) [Ground Game](https://apnews.com/hub/ground-game)

  TOP STORIES

  + [Supreme Court rules against Colorado ban on ‘conversion therapy’ for LGBTQ+ kids](https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-conversion-therapy-colorado-92b34295f9ef497a4a1cbeb56c9b74c6)
  + [Trump signs order directing creation of a national voter list, a move already facing lawsuit threats](https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mail-voting-elections-47cc334b1fb7742244a9c4f176b355cd)
  + [Judge orders White House ballroom construction to halt in a ruling that leaves Trump seething](https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-ballroom-construction-halted-9cafc70569a3a05fcbaa6cafddbeace4)

  Newsletters

  [Ground Game

  Exclusive insights and key stories from the world of politics.](/newsletters?id=Ground_Game)

  [See All Newsletters](/newsletters)
* [Sports](https://apnews.com/sports) 

  SECTIONS

  [March Madness](https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness) [NBA](https://apnews.com/hub/nba) [NHL](https://apnews.com/hub/nhl) [MLB](https://apnews.com/hub/mlb) [NFL](https://apnews.com/hub/nfl) [Soccer](https://apnews.com/hub/soccer) [Golf](https://apnews.com/hub/golf) [Auto Racing](https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing)

  TOP STORIES

  + [World's tallest basketball player, 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux, is transferring from Florida](https://apnews.com/article/olivier-rioux-transfer-portal-d6779698352180b41a994f5e2c9dff11)
  + [Tiger Woods says he'll seek treatment after pleading not guilty to DUI](https://apnews.com/article/tiger-woods-car-crash-87c98d8ed519b463997553677db46b87)
  + [Pioneering female NFL official sues league over her treatment and firing](https://apnews.com/article/nfl-female-officiating-discrimination-56e1acf11e960a68b760c0186b6a15cf)

  Newsletters

  [AP Top 25 Poll Alerts

  Get email alerts for every college football Top 25 Poll release.](/newsletters?id=AP_CFB_Top_25_Poll_Alerts) [The Sports Wire

  Your home base for in-depth reporting from the world of sports.](/newsletters?id=Sports+HQ)

  [See All Newsletters](/newsletters)
* [Entertainment](h

*[Content truncated...]*

---

## 4. EPA Watchdog Finds Nation’s Most Toxic Are Vulnerable to Flooding, Wildfires - insurancejournal.com

**URL:** [https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2026/04/02/864228.htm](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2026/04/02/864228.htm)  
**Score:** 0.2598

### Summary

“Although President Trump may wish to ignore it, the fact is the climate is changing and we need to be proactive in responding to rising seas and more extreme weather or face the consequences of increasingly frequent cascading natural-technological disasters that poison communities and local ecosystems,” said Cushing.

The inspector general’s findings echo a 2017 investigation by The Associated Press that found 327 Superfund sites vulnerable to flooding driven by climate change. The AP’s review was launched following Hurricane Harvey, which caused extensive flooding in parts of Houston that included seven Superfund sites and triggered spills from tanks holding cancer-causing toxic waste. [...] “This series shines a light on potential threats to federal facility Superfund sites and the critical role of five-year reviews in addressing them,” said Kim Wheeler, the spokesperson for the Inspector General’s office. “By identifying sites at risk from these weather-related events, we aimed to raise awareness and encourage forward looking planning.”

Photo: A barbed-wire fence encircles the Highlands Acid Pit that was flooded by water from the nearby San Jacinto River in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Highlands, Texas on Aug. 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Jason Dearen)

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Flood Wildfire Pollution

Was this article valuable? [...] Last year, President Donald Trump fired EPA Inspector General Sean O’Donnell at the beginning of Trump’s second term, and the office’s new review makes no mention of climate change, a term the Republican administration has scrubbed from federal websites. But the new reports issued by the IG’s remaining staff still lay out the risks posed by a warming planet to the nation’s most dangerous toxic waste sites.

Lara J. Cushing, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles who has studied the effects of a changing climate on the nation’s toxic waste sites, petrochemical plants and other hazardous areas, called the new reports “noteworthy and important.”

### Full Content

[Skip to content](#main)

* [MyNewMarkets.com](https://www.mynewmarkets.com/)
* [Claims Journal](https://www.claimsjournal.com/)
* [Insurance Journal TV](https://www.insurancejournal.tv/)
* [Academy of Insurance](https://www.ijacademy.com/)
* [Carrier Management](https://www.carriermanagement.com/)

### Featured Stories

* [Farmers Plans Rapid Expansion of Agency Force](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2026/03/31/864092.htm)
* [How Will Middle East War Affect Insurance Sector?](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2026/04/01/864213.htm)

* [Articles](#search-news)
* [Jobs](#search-jobs)
* [Markets](#search-markets)

### Current Magazine

* [Read Online](/magazines/insurance-journal-west-2026-03-23/)
* [Subscribe](/members/pro)
* [Login](/members/login)

# EPA Watchdog Finds Nation’s Most Toxic Are Vulnerable to Flooding, Wildfires

By [Michael Biesecker](https://www.insurancejournal.com/author/michael-biesecker/ "Posts by Michael Biesecker") and [Jason Dearen](https://www.insurancejournal.com/author/jason-dearen/ "Posts by Jason Dearen") | April 2, 2026

[Email This](mailto:?subject=EPA Watchdog Finds Nation’s Most Toxic Are Vulnerable to Flooding, Wildfires&body=EPA Watchdog Finds Nation’s Most Toxic Are Vulnerable to Flooding, Wildfires%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.insurancejournal.com%2Fnews%2Fnational%2F2026%2F04%2F02%2F864228.htm)   [Subscribe to Newsletter](/subscribe/)

* [Article](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2026/04/02/864228.htm)
* [0 Comments](https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2026/04/02/864228.htm?comments)

About 100 of the nation’s most contaminated toxic waste sites are in areas prone to flooding and wildfires, a potential public health threat to millions of Americans in surrounding communities, the internal watchdog at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found.

The EPA’s Office of Inspector General issued two new [reports](https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/340c1111e4d041da97d6ee23588c7b77) last week that are part of a series assessing the weather-related vulnerabilities of the 157 federal Superfund sites prioritized for cleanup due to the serious risk they pose to public health and the environment. About 3 million Americans live within a mile of a Superfund site, while 13 million people live within 3 miles (4.8 kilometers).

Some of the Superfund sites were found to be at risk from multiple natural-disaster threats. The studies found 49 in coastal areas are at risk from sea-level rise or storm surge from hurricanes, with many located near highly populated areas and important ecological locales like Chesapeake Bay. Another 47 are in low-lying sites prone specifically to inland flooding from heavy rain. The review also found 31 sites in areas at high risk for [wild](https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-climate-change-hot-dry-weather-global-7847530d84dd3ee53c5a355519dbd747)f[ires](https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-climate-change-hot-dry-weather-global-7847530d84dd3ee53c5a355519dbd747).

Despite these risks, the five-year plans governing the expensive and time-consuming cleanups at the sites often failed to account for damage posed by flooding from sea-level rise and more frequent storms and wildfire, the IG’s review found.

“That is a big problem because it means the site managers are not planning mitigation measures,” said Betsy Southerland, a former director of the agency’s water protection division who spent over 30 years at the EPA.

“The communities living near those sites should be made aware of this planning failure and should insist on robust plans,” she said.

At locations with little or no planning for floods, contaminants could be released into surrounding communities and taxpayer dollars already invested in remediation could be wasted, the review found.

The EPA said it is reviewing the IG’s findings and that the Superfund program does factor “the impacts of extreme weather events and other hazards as a standard operating practice in the development and implementation of cleanup projects.”

Last year, President Donald Trump fired EPA Inspector General Sean O’Donnell at the beginning of Trump’s second term, and the office’s new review makes no mention of climate change, a term the Republican administration has scrubbed from federal websites. But the new reports issued by the IG’s remaining staff still lay out the risks posed by a warming planet to the nation’s most dangerous toxic waste sites.

Lara J. Cushing, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles who has studied the effects of a changing climate on the nation’s toxic waste sites, petrochemical plants and other hazardous areas, called the new reports “noteworthy and important.”

“Although President Trump may wish to ignore it, the fact is the climate is changing and we need to be proactive in responding to rising seas and more extreme weather or face the consequences of increasingly frequent cascading natural-technological disasters that poison com

*[Content truncated...]*

---

## 5. Warming winters lead to more nitrate pollution in the drinking water near farms - Greenwich Time

**URL:** [https://www.greenwichtime.com/business/article/warming-winters-lead-to-more-nitrate-pollution-in-22183152.php](https://www.greenwichtime.com/business/article/warming-winters-lead-to-more-nitrate-pollution-in-22183152.php)  
**Score:** 0.2043

### Summary

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

### Want more Greenwich Time?

Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.

Add Preferred Source

As Earth warms due to human-caused climate change, the ground isn’t staying frozen as consistently in many places, and snow is often melting or falling as rain on thawed ground. That all adds up to more winter days when nitrates are likely to reach unhealthy levels.

Scientists say one effect of Earth’s warming is more frequent extreme weather events, including drought and intense bursts of rainfall from an atmosphere that now holds more moisture than in the past. [...] Find the Best Near You

Best Of

Cast your vote for Connecticut's heavy hitters

Back the businesses that pack the biggest punch in food, fun, shopping and beauty. Voting is open now through April 26.

Best Of

The best preschools near Fairfield

For little learners with big curiosity.

Best Of

These local hair salons are a cut above the rest

Whether it's a bouncy blow-out, a vibrant color transformation, or a revitalizing hair treatment, they've got you covered!

Best Of

CT’s best garden centers to visit this winter

If plants are your thing and winter is your season, this list is your happy place.

Best Of

These kitchen remodelers create the ideal space for hosting

Get tips from top CT experts on crafting a kitchen that wows your guests.

Best Of [...] “In central and southern Illinois, we’ve always dealt with a sort of ephemeral freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw process. What we’re seeing is that’s really tracking farther north,” said Trent Ford, Illinois' state climatologist.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

## Stakes are high for low-income and rural communities

Nitrate pollution is a big problem for low-income, rural residents across the United States, said Samuel Sandoval Solis, a professor at the University of California-Davis and an extension specialist in water resources management.

### Full Content

[Subscribe](/hamburgerbutton)

[Business](/business/)

# Warming winters lead to more nitrate pollution in the drinking water near farms

By MELINA WALLING, Associated Press

When pollution gets bad enough in the rivers supplying Iowa's largest city with drinking water, it costs Des Moines around $16,000 a day to run a special system to filter out dangerous nitrates. It’s a fact of life in the agriculture-dependent state — and climate change is making the water quality problem even worse.

The nitrates come from fertilizer and pesticides that make their way into the soil and then waterways like the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. It’s not usually a problem in winter, but this year Iowa's capital had to filter in January and February — just the second time that’s happened in more than 30 years. That’s likely going to mean higher water bills for people who live in a state with some of the nation’s waterways that are most vulnerable to nitrate pollution.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

Experts blame weather conditions, including warming winters, for a costly problem they say will only grow across farm country.

More Business

[Surging gas prices from Iran war will add $15M to CT transportation fund: State](/politics/article/ct-revenue-boost-transportation-fund-gas-oil-22159320.php)

[But the Office of Fiscal Analysis is cautioning that a tax cap likely will limit the jump in state revenue.](/politics/article/ct-revenue-boost-transportation-fund-gas-oil-22159320.php)

[Transition from Crystal Mall to Electric Boat facility gains momentum](/business/article/crystal-mall-ct-electric-boat-22161745.php)

[Tuesday was the final day of business for all but three of the remaining tenants at the Crystal Mall in Waterford.](/business/article/crystal-mall-ct-electric-boat-22161745.php)

[UConn Health eyes takeover of state children's psychiatric hospital from DCF](/connecticut/article/uconn-health-solnit-psychiatric-hospital-ct-22164433.php)

[The state Department of Children and Families would transfer 50 inpatient psychiatric beds to UConn’s John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington.](/connecticut/article/uconn-health-solnit-psychiatric-hospital-ct-22164433.php)

[CT hit harder by gas price hikes than nearby states as U.S. average reaches $4](/business/article/ct-gas-price-iran-ukraine-russian-pump-22161990.php)

[Connecticut's average gas price on Tuesday was $3.95 a gallon, up three cents from a week ago and $1.04 from a month ago.](/business/article/ct-gas-price-iran-ukraine-russian-pump-22161990.php)

[CT's Pratt & Whitney gets $3.8B deal for more fighter-jet work](/business/article/pratt-whitney-contract-f135-engines-f35-ct-22161751.php)

[A large portion of Pratt & Whitney's production of engines for F-35 fighter jets is done at the company's facilities in East Hartford and Middletown.](/business/article/pratt-whitney-contract-f135-engines-f35-ct-22161751.php)

When it comes to winter nitrate pollution events, “We are more apt to see these in the future. Are they going to occur every year? No. But the ingredients are there for them to potentially occur more often,” said Justin Glisan, Iowa's state climatologist.

## Why warmer winters lead to more water pollution

The fertilizers and pesticides that farmers use leave nitrogen and phosphorus in their fields. Rain or snowmelt then carries the chemicals into drinking water, which is dangerous. Ingesting too many nitrates can cause health issues like cancer or blue baby syndrome, low oxygen levels in infants.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

### Want more Greenwich Time?

Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.

[Add Preferred Source](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=greenwichtime.com)

As Earth warms due to human-caused climate change, the ground isn’t staying frozen as consistently in many places, and snow is often melting or falling as rain on thawed ground. That all adds up to more winter days when nitrates are likely to reach unhealthy levels.

Scientists say one effect of Earth’s warming is more frequent extreme weather events, including drought and intense bursts of rainfall from an atmosphere that now holds more moisture than in the past.

Intense dryness followed by intense wetness means massive amounts of water moving through the soil, bringing farm chemicals like nitrogen with it, Glisan said.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

And a warmer atmosphere is thawing Earth's polar regions and causing more of those winter flip-flops from frigid polar air to warmer, less snowy weather, he said.

Even though some storms brought a lot of snow this winter, it didn't stay on the ground for very long. Instead, snow insulated the soil in some areas from freezing too deep, and a quick thaw let melting snow, followed by pounding rain, travel down through the soil and eventually into streams.

Where the ground isn't consistently frozen, nutrients aren't as “locked in” to the soil frost.

“I

*[Content truncated...]*

---