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

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A clear Rocky Mountain stream creates riffles through cobblestone at the base of Mount Sopris
A historic drought driven by climate change and temperatures that creep ever higher are partly to blame, but the factors that lead to a dry river bed are many.

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Why atmospheric rivers can be both harmful and helpful

These "rivers in the sky" can cause catastrophic flooding but are also critical for the West's snowpack

What is an atmospheric river? A hydrologist explains the good and...

On average, atmospheric rivers have about twice the regular flow of the Amazon River.

Helpful sites for tracking snow and the (subpar) snowpack

There’s no shortage of websites with maps and graphics visualizing snow forecasts and the state of the snowpack.

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.

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

Stream restoration beset by lack of money and workers.

Colorado squeezing water from urban landscapes

Pace of transition has accelerated, deepened and broadened

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