A lengthy drought in Europe has exposed carved boulders, known as “hunger stones,” that have been used for centuries to commemorate historic droughts — and warn of their consequences. The Associated Press reports that hunger stones are newly visible in the Elbe River, which begins in the Czech Republic and …
KFAR YUVAL, Israel (AP) — For years, public service announcements warned Israelis to save water: Take shorter showers. Plant resilient gardens. Conserve. Then Israel invested heavily in desalination technology and professed to have solved the problem by tapping into the abundant waters of the Mediterranean Sea. The once ubiquitous conservation …
As Britain and the rest of Europe swelter through a heat wave, a new study suggests that drought had bloody consequences for the rulers of the ancient world. Academics have found that prolonged periods of low rainfall in the Roman Empire led to more emperors being assassinated by restive legions. According to the thesis …
A view of the shore of Lake Bracciano, about 35 kilometers northwest of Rome, Thursday, July 27, 2017. ROME (AP) — Rome and its water company are working hard to avoid rationing during a nationwide drought, Italy’s environment minister said Thursday. Scarce rain and chronically leaky aqueducts have combined this …
PHILLIPS STATION, Calif. (AP) — As big wet snowflakes fell high in California’s mountains on Thursday, surveyors on snowshoes measured the state’s deepest springtime snowdrifts in years and said the result boosted their concerns that the state could face more destructive floods. Snow in the Sierra Nevada begins melting this …
BANDARERO, Kenya (AP) — Loko Kalicha Junno says she trekked for a week to save her 10 cattle from dying of thirst and hunger. But none survived. Now, at one of the last watering holes in this remote village, she fears for herself. “If this water gets finished I am …
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Much of California has gone from withered to water-logged this winter but the state’s top water regulator is not ready to lift emergency conservation measures enacted during the height of the state’s drought. “It makes the most sense to continue steady as she goes,” State Water …
LOS ANGELES (AP) — La Nina has arrived and could hang around through winter, government weather forecasters said Thursday. La Nina, the flip side of El Nino, is the periodic cooling of the central Pacific Ocean that affects weather patterns around the globe. Predictions called for fleeting La Nina conditions …
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Among the changing red and yellow fall leaves of Yosemite National Park, nature artist Penny Otwell is marveling at the fullest rushing waterfalls and rivers she’s ever painted there in autumn. But down in the dry Southern California suburbs, David Cantuna laments the same dead and …
PARIS (AP) — Floods, drought, frost and hail cut into world wine production this year across Europe and South America, but the quality of the 2016 vintage shouldn’t unduly suffer. Italy remained the world’s top producer for the second straight year, with a volume of 48.8 million hectoliters, according to …
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — At Lavoie’s Farm in New Hampshire, beans and corn haven’t broken through the ground yet and fields of strawberries are stunted. The drought that has taken hold in the Northeast is especially felt at John Lavoie’s farm in Hollis, presenting him with some tough choices. Irrigation …
SHAHAPUR, India (AP) — Shantabai Babulkar’s day begins before dawn with a 5 kilometer (3 mile) trek across barren fields and dusty scrubland to fetch water from a distant well for her family. The two metal pots of muddy water that Babulkar, 58, balances on her head and a third …