Much of the nation is in drought already, but the headwaters of the Colorado River is among the driest places, along with south Texas and all of Florida. Alarmed civic officials across the West have already begun ordering restrictions on watering lawns, cleaning cars and even whether restaurant patrons get served glasses of water.
“We are already assuming our yard is going to be dead this year,” said Renee McLaughlin, 44, a physician assistant. “And we’re talking to the kids about taking five-minute showers.”
The McLaughlins live in a Colorado city that has not yet ordered water restrictions, but many neighboring communities have already begun implementing them. Some ski areas are also closing early due to the heat and lack of snow.
Longtime western water expert Brad Udall said it’s hard to put into words just how bad things are. He said the early ski area closures will likely be followed by ranchers selling off cattle, and then skies darkened by wildfire smoke as dry vegetation burns.
For more than two decades, Udall has been studying how climate change is altering the West’s water resources. He said 2026 may go down as the worst year for Colorado River flows in recorded history.
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Much of the nation is in drought already, but the headwaters of the Colorado River is among the driest places, along with south Texas and all of Florida. Alarmed civic officials across the West have already begun ordering restrictions on watering lawns, cleaning cars and even whether restaurant patrons get served glasses of water.
“We are already assuming our yard is going to be dead this year,” said Renee McLaughlin, 44, a physician assistant. “And we’re talking to the kids about taking five-minute showers.”
The McLaughlins live in a Colorado city that has not yet ordered water restrictions, but many neighboring communities have already begun implementing them. Some ski areas are also closing early due to the heat and lack of snow.
Longtime western water expert Brad Udall said it’s hard to put into words just how bad things are. He said the early ski area closures will likely be followed by ranchers selling off cattle, and then skies darkened by wildfire smoke as dry vegetation burns.
For more than two decades, Udall has been studying how climate change is altering the West’s water resources. He said 2026 may go down as the worst year for Colorado River flows in recorded history.