Currently in Boston — May 16th, 2022
The weather, currently.
It was a summer like weekend across the region and the warm unusual weather will continue on Monday. Look for some humidity with temperatures in the lower 80s. There is the chance for a couple of afternoon showers or a thunderstorm especially north and west of Boston. There may be an overnight shower in the city but much of the area we'll see little to no rain. The lack of rain continues to be an issue for gardeners. Temperatures will cool on Tuesday behind a cold front with lower humidity continuing through the middle part of the week before heat returns this weekend. —Dave Epstein
What you need to know, currently.
Yes, the megadrought in the American West and Southern California is still ongoing. Page, Arizona could lose its city’s water supply if water levels in Lake Powell, which is now just 24% full, drops too low; the water levels of Lake Mead in Nevada, which supplies water to over 40 million people in seven different states, have dropped so far that it’s coughing out skeletons; wetlands are drying and the fish wildlife are in danger.
But, all is not lost. Southwest cities like San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas are adapting— and even thriving— amid the drought, strategizing new ways to conserve and source water, according to reporting by Yale Environment 360.
They’ve replaced their lawns with native vegetation to reduce their environmental footprint and support native animals, implemented water recycling and installed low-flow plumbing fixtures.
Communities are slowly, but surely piecing together a resilience to the risks they’re facing with climate change and the aridification of North America. As water scarcity intensifies and these cities’ populations continue to increase, they’ve still been able to adapt. So much so, that they’ve been able accommodate population growth, while reducing their water use and in turn, separating the need for more water from growth.
For example, San Diego has a water conservation plan dating back to the nineties. According to Yale Environment 360, the city’s water use dropped from 81.5 billion gallons in 2007 to 57 billion gallons in 2020 and nine cities surveyed in the Colorado River Basin lowered their water demand between 19 and 48% from 2000 to 2015.
The city requires water-saving technology and paid homeowners to replace their water-greedy yards with water-efficient landscaping.
Similarly, homeowners in Phoenix have ripped out water-greedy shrubbery from their lawns, resulting in a drop in water use.
While the only long term solution to fight the climate crisis is to eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels. These mitigation and resilience building solutions are hopeful and a necessary piece of the puzzle.
— Aarohi Sheth