An initiative of the Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder

Staying safe with the Winter Storm Severity Index

This pragmatic tool from federal forecasters illustrates where snow, ice, and wind can be deadly and disruptive.

What to watch on the Colorado River in 2024

After years of dry conditions throughout the West, 2023 gave the region’s water managers the greatest gift of all: a hefty snowpack. What will 2024 bring?

Billions in federal assistance after New Mexico’s largest wildfire. But little money to repair...

Stream restoration beset by lack of money and workers.

Colorado River crisis — How did the nation’s two largest reservoirs nearly go dry?

Experts cite complicated operating systems, competing government agencies, rigid guidelines and climate change

Colorado squeezing water from urban landscapes

Pace of transition has accelerated, deepened and broadened

Scientists use simple cameras to answer complex questions about forests and the snowpack

“Snowtography” captures how the snowpack can vary dramatically across short distances

The Rio Grande isn’t just a border – it’s a river in crisis

The river is in decline, suffering from overuse, drought and contentious water rights negotiations.

High and Dry

Utah’s immense Great Salt Lake has receded in recent years, revealing the microbial reefs crucial to its ecosystem.

What is a strong El Niño? Meteorologists anticipate a big impact in winter 2023,...

A strong El Niño is coming. It sounds ominous. But what does that actually mean?

Drops of Hope Along the Colorado River

Water inequality in the United States goes hand in hand with the dark legacy of colonization, systematic racism, and efforts to wipe out Indigenous cultures.