{"id":459702,"date":"2026-08-02T06:22:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T13:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=459702"},"modified":"2026-08-02T06:22:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T13:22:23","slug":"the-great-hot-drought-humbug-why-lake-powell-is-really-drying-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=459702","title":{"rendered":"The Great \u201cHot Drought\u201d Humbug: Why Lake Powell Is Really Drying Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"482\" data-attachment-id=\"459714\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=459714\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?fit=1248%2C832&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1248,832\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"0 boat_on_the_river\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?fit=723%2C482&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?resize=723%2C482&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-459714\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?w=1248&amp;ssl=1 1248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2026\/07\/30\/the-great-hot-drought-humbug-why-lake-powell-is-really-drying-up\/\">Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Steve Oregon<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">YouTube videos and media headlines love to blame the low water levels at Lake Powell on a single, dramatic narrative:&nbsp;<em>a \u201chot drought\u201d driven by climate change where rising temperatures are vaporizing the Colorado River.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a convenient story, but it ignores basic thermodynamics, observed watershed hydrology, and century-old math.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is the real science behind why the \u201chot drought\u201d narrative falls apart\u2014and what is actually draining the Southwest\u2019s reservoirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. The Headwater Lie: Below Freezing is Still Below Freezing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The headline claiming a<strong>&nbsp;1.5\u00b0F to 2.5\u00b0F<\/strong>&nbsp;temperature spike relies on a statistical trick: averaging temperatures across the&nbsp;<strong>entire<\/strong>&nbsp;basin, from scorching Arizona deserts up to Colorado\u2019s highest peaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Where the water starts:<\/strong>&nbsp;Over 85% of the river\u2019s flow comes from high-altitude snowpack above 9,000 feet in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The basic physics:<\/strong>&nbsp;If an alpine snowpack sits in&nbsp;<strong>\u221210\u00b0C&nbsp;<\/strong>air in January and the air rises to&nbsp;<strong>\u22128\u00b0C<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>the snowpack does not melt<\/strong>. Sublimation at these temperatures is negligible compared to liquid spring runoff.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The takeaway:<\/strong>&nbsp;Snow sublimates primarily due to direct sunlight and wind, not minor bumps in sub-freezing air temperatures. Attributing massive flow loss to \u201cwarm air\u201d in the dead of winter violates thermodynamic reality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Model Manipulation: The \u201cResidual Attribution\u201d Error<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How did computer models \u201cprove\u201d that heat stole the river? Through a&nbsp;<strong>residual attribution error<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hydrologic models (like those popularized by Udall &amp; Overpeck) use programmed equations where air temperature acts as a primary control knob for water loss. When researchers fed precipitation data into their software and noticed real-world river flows were lower than predicted, the software automatically attributed the \u201cmissing\u201d water to the variable that had gone up: temperature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What the data actually says:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Flaw:<\/strong>&nbsp;This method assumes&nbsp;<em>any<\/em>&nbsp;flow unexplained by crude precipitation models&nbsp;<em>must<\/em>&nbsp;be heat loss. It completely ignores physical ground sinks like deep soil recharge and dust-induced early melt.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Real Driver:<\/strong>&nbsp;High-resolution studies by NOAA and CIRES (<em>Hoerling et al.<\/em>) confirm that&nbsp;<strong>precipitation variability dictates roughly 80% of historical flow swings<\/strong>. The media narrative flips this ratio to make heat the primary culprit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Artifact:<\/strong>&nbsp;Claims that heat caused \u201c33% to 50% of the flow decline\u201d are not direct physical measurements; they are modeling artifacts created by applying linear assumptions to non-linear watershed behavior.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Dark Snow and Parched Dirt: The Unsung Water Thieves<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two major physical drivers get buried by the \u201chot drought\u201d narrative, yet they are backed by direct field observation, not computer inference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Soil Sponge (Antecedent Moisture):<\/strong>&nbsp;Multi-year hydrologic analyses show that root-zone soil moisture accounts for up to&nbsp;<strong>74% of runoff variability<\/strong>. When deep soil layers dry out during multi-year dry spells, the parched ground acts like a giant sponge. When spring snowpack melts, the water recharges the dry dirt first before reaching a stream gauge. Models mislabel this subterranean absorption as \u201catmospheric heat loss.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dirty Snow (Dust-on-Snow Radiative Forcing):<\/strong>&nbsp;Windblown dust from livestock grazing, unpaved roads, and desert land clearing settles on mountain snowpacks. Studies from NASA JPL (<em>Tom Painter et al.<\/em>) prove that dust lowers snow albedo, causing it to absorb massive solar energy.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Magnitude:<\/strong>&nbsp;Dust shortens snow cover duration by&nbsp;<strong>25 to 50 days<\/strong>. By comparison, a&nbsp;<strong>2\u00b0C to 4\u00b0C<\/strong>&nbsp;air temperature rise only shortens it by 5 to 18 days.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Consequence:<\/strong>&nbsp;Dark snow melts weeks too early, exposing bare ground to intense late-spring sunlight while the air is dry. This drives massive soil evaporation. This is a&nbsp;<strong>solar radiation and land-management issue<\/strong>, not a warm-air issue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. The Real Culprit: A 100-Year Math Problem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fundamental difference between the 1950s dry spell and today isn\u2019t a magical atmospheric transformation\u2014it\u2019s basic arithmetic.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-code\">\n\t<div class=\"cm-editor\">\n\t\t<div class=\"cm-scroller\">\n\t\t\t\n<pre>\n<code><div class=\"cm-line\">1953\u20131967 Drought:<\/div><div class=\"cm-line\">[Natural Low River Flow] MINUS [Low Human Water Use (~8-10 MAF)] = Reservoirs Held<\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><div class=\"cm-line\">2000\u2013Present Dry Era:<\/div><div class=\"cm-line\">[Natural Low River Flow] MINUS [Maximum Human Water Use (~15-16 MAF)] = Reservoir Collapse<\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><div class=\"cm-line\"><\/div><\/code><\/pre>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Legal Mistake:<\/strong>&nbsp;In 1922, the Colorado River Compact legally allocated&nbsp;<strong>17.5 million acre-feet (MAF)<\/strong>&nbsp;of water per year based on an unusually wet 20-year streak.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The True Yield:<\/strong>&nbsp;Tree-ring records covering 1,200 years prove the river\u2019s long-term natural yield is only&nbsp;<strong>~14.5 MAF<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Collapse:<\/strong>&nbsp;During the 1950s drought, cities were smaller, agriculture was less intensive, and the basin wasn\u2019t drawing its full share. By 2000, human usage and evaporation hit&nbsp;<strong>15+ MAF annually<\/strong>\u2014exceeding what the river produces even in an average year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Wet Year Illusion:<\/strong>&nbsp;Critics argue that wet years (like 2023) should have refilled reservoirs if heat wasn\u2019t the problem. The reality is simple math: withdrawing&nbsp;<strong>15+ MAF<\/strong>&nbsp;annually from near-empty reservoirs prevents recovery regardless of temperature. A single wet year cannot refill 50 million acre-feet of depleted storage when human diversions swallow the surplus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Bottom Line<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lake Powell isn\u2019t collapsing because&nbsp;<strong>1.5\u00b0F<\/strong>&nbsp;of air temperature vaporized the mountains. It is collapsing because a standard, historically recurring dry spell hit a river system that was already being pumped dry past its physical limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blaming \u201chot air\u201d gives water managers, bureaucrats, and politicians an easy out to claim an \u201cunprecedented act of nature\u201d\u2014rather than admitting they spent a century writing paper promises for water that never existed. The crisis is driven by&nbsp;<strong>natural precipitation cycles<\/strong>,&nbsp;<strong>land management (dust)<\/strong>, and&nbsp;<strong>structural over-allocation<\/strong>. Temperature is a secondary factor heavily exaggerated by models that fail to account for real-world ground physics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>YouTube videos and media headlines love to blame the low water levels at Lake Powell on a single, dramatic narrative: a \u201chot drought\u201d driven by climate change where rising temperatures are vaporizing the Colorado River.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":459714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"YouTube videos and media headlines love to blame the low water levels at Lake Powell on a single, dramatic narrative: a \"hot drought\" driven by climate change where rising temperatures are vaporizing the Colorado River.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691844410,691844409,691844411,691832354,691844407],"class_list":["post-459702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hot-air","tag-hot-drought","tag-unprecedented-act-of-nature","tag-lake-powell","tag-water-use","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1VAy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":241093,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=241093","url_meta":{"origin":459702,"position":0},"title":"The California Drought is Over. Definitively.","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/23\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"After over a month of torrential rain and massive mountain snow, the drought is over in California.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1001.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1001.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1001.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1001.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1001.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":462080,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=462080","url_meta":{"origin":459702,"position":1},"title":"Climate Fact-Check July 2026","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/11\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Editor\u2019s note: This compilation serves as a fact check on the most widespread false claims made about climate change by the media in July, 2026. \u2018Climate change\u2019 is NOT causing droughts, heatwaves, shrinking squid brains, wildfires, snow droughts & more tornadoes","rel":"","context":"In \"4th of July heatwave\"","block_context":{"text":"4th of July heatwave","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=4th-of-july-heatwave"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-July-2026-Fact-Check-1.png?fit=1200%2C672&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-July-2026-Fact-Check-1.png?fit=1200%2C672&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-July-2026-Fact-Check-1.png?fit=1200%2C672&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-July-2026-Fact-Check-1.png?fit=1200%2C672&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-July-2026-Fact-Check-1.png?fit=1200%2C672&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":254650,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=254650","url_meta":{"origin":459702,"position":2},"title":"Tell the Truth, CNN, Climate Change Not Pushing Species or Landscapes to the Brink","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/25\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Just in time for Earth Day, CNN published an interactive story claiming climate change was pushing various plant and animal species to the brink of extinction, and various landscapes to the brink of disappearing.","rel":"","context":"In \"Antarctic Peninsula\"","block_context":{"text":"Antarctic Peninsula","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=antarctic-peninsula"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0buffsonicetop-image.webp?fit=1200%2C1135&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0buffsonicetop-image.webp?fit=1200%2C1135&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0buffsonicetop-image.webp?fit=1200%2C1135&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0buffsonicetop-image.webp?fit=1200%2C1135&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/0buffsonicetop-image.webp?fit=1200%2C1135&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":464604,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=464604","url_meta":{"origin":459702,"position":3},"title":"Western water fight also impacts power generation","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/21\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Back in May, Lake Mead had already dropped to 1,050 feet above sea level, which was 25 feet below its critical level of 1,075 feet. The huge reservoir, held in place by Hoover Dam, was just below 1,040 feet as of August 13. When the lake level falls to 1,035\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"acres of farmland\"","block_context":{"text":"acres of farmland","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=acres-of-farmland"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Hoover-dam-roads-and-power-lines.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Hoover-dam-roads-and-power-lines.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Hoover-dam-roads-and-power-lines.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Hoover-dam-roads-and-power-lines.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Hoover-dam-roads-and-power-lines.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":463261,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=463261","url_meta":{"origin":459702,"position":4},"title":"Record Low Lake Mead: \u201cMillennium Drought\u201d or Inevitable Result of Demand Exceeding Supply?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/16\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Colorado River Compact (1922) and subsequent Law of the River allocated more water than the long-term average supply supports. Early-20th-century flows were unusually high; allocations (roughly 15 million acre-feet split between Upper and Lower Basins, plus obligations to Mexico) assumed higher yields that have not materialized on average.","rel":"","context":"In \"agriculture\"","block_context":{"text":"agriculture","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=agriculture"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Record-Low-Lake-Mead-Millennium-Drought-or-Inevitable-Result-of-Demand-Exceeding-Supply.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Record-Low-Lake-Mead-Millennium-Drought-or-Inevitable-Result-of-Demand-Exceeding-Supply.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Record-Low-Lake-Mead-Millennium-Drought-or-Inevitable-Result-of-Demand-Exceeding-Supply.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Record-Low-Lake-Mead-Millennium-Drought-or-Inevitable-Result-of-Demand-Exceeding-Supply.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-Record-Low-Lake-Mead-Millennium-Drought-or-Inevitable-Result-of-Demand-Exceeding-Supply.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":286535,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=286535","url_meta":{"origin":459702,"position":5},"title":"Colorado River Flow Data Disproves \u201cClimate Change Warming\u201d Computer Model Flow Reduction Claims","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/04\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The next question is, does climate change even predict future reductions of precipitation over the Colorado River watershed? The following plot shows an average of 183 climate model simulations of average yearly precipitation in an area approximating the Colorado River watershed. The models suggest a slight increase in total precipitation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"climate change warming\u201d\"","block_context":{"text":"climate change warming\u201d","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change-warming"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0horseshoe-bend-iconic_s.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0horseshoe-bend-iconic_s.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0horseshoe-bend-iconic_s.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0horseshoe-bend-iconic_s.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0horseshoe-bend-iconic_s.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0-boat_on_the_river-1.jpg?fit=1248%2C832&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=459702"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":459717,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459702\/revisions\/459717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/459714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=459702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=459702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=459702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}