FOX5 EXPERTS: Understanding the drought and how to adapt to the ever-changing environment

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Ken Graham is the Director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. His message for living in the drought is learning to adapt and be resilient.

On the long-term forecast for the valley, Graham says after the Monsoon season ends, we will go back to a dry pattern and he sees nothing on the horizon that will break the pattern. He says these mega-droughts can sometimes last many decades (we are over 2 decades with this one). The same La Nina system in the Pacific that is creating our drought is also causing more active hurricane seasons in the Atlantic. It’s all linked together around the world.

Graham says part of that resilience is looking at other water sources, including desalinization and possible pipelines to other water sources. He says everything is on the table.

Another concern for the NWS and Graham is the heat and the heat island effect. Right now, NOAA is undertaking a huge project to map out the heat island effect because it’s a big factor in how to keep people safe. Heat kills more people than any other weather event. He says a lot of the answers won’t come through technology but through our ability to be resilient and adapt to what’s happening on the planet.