Printed field guide open on a truck tailgate with mountains behind.

September 26, 2026 · 14 min

How to read a drought map

The colours on a drought map, what each one means and what the map cannot tell you. Builds on “What a water shortage means in a headline”.

Valley Water Notes

A short letter every Sunday: one piece of water news explained, with the numbers made small.

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More posts

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    A bath, a shower and a shortage

    Why the water in a bath is a small number once you set it beside a field, and what a shortage really counts.

    8 min read
  • Retreating Andean glacier with meltwater streams.

    How much water a large glacier holds

    How much water sits in a large valley glacier, and why a shrinking one matters more than a small one. Builds on “What a small glacier holds”.

    12 min read