Denverpost.com reports that...

A wildfire burning in and near Lory State Park northwest of Fort Collins exploded to between 750 and 1,000 acres Friday, pushed by erratic winds, record temperatures and low humidity. Officials said they sent out 860 evacuation phone calls. The evacuations to the north of the fire, where the first 281 calls were made, have been lifted. A second round of 579 calls, for homes to the south of the fire, went out at about 3:30 p.m. The Poudre Fire Authority said those evacuations would remain in effect through the night. The fire was 5 percent contained at 8:30 p.m.

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Nbcnews.com reports that...

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Thousands of families in Bolivia were hit hard this week as torrential rains caused rivers to overflow. NBCNews.com’s Alex Witt reports.

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Worldnews.nbcnews.com reports that...

Authorities in Wellington, New Zealand, have issued an outright ban on outdoor water use as a worsening drought has siphoned the available supply to less than half of normal level and prompted the government to declare the worst water shortage in 30 years.

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Bbc.co.uk reports that...

John Hammond takes a look at the snow thats hit Europe this week whilst parts of New Zealand are affected by drought.

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Bbc.co.uk reports that...

Snow and strong winds have brought parts of northern Europe to a standstill. BBC Weather’s Matt Taylor looks at the severe disruption and explains the science behind this winter storm.

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Ect.coop reports that...

Electric cooperatives are ready to power expanded or improved irrigation systems as unseasonably dry conditions over much of the United States spur demand for electric power to pump water to crops and livestock.

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Bloomberg.com reports that...

The coffee harvest in Vietnam, the biggest grower of robusta beans used by Nestle SA (NESN) in instant drinks, may decline for second year because of drought in the main growing regions, according to a producers’ group.
Output may drop 30 percent in 2013-2014, Luong Van Tu, chairman of the Vietnam Coffee & Cocoa Association, or Vicofa, said yesterday, without giving a specific forecast. Production fell 25 percent in 2012-2013 from 1.5 million tons a year earlier, he said. A Bloomberg survey published on March 7 estimated the 2012-2013 crop at 1.43 million tons.

Read more at www.bloomberg.com

Wsau.com reports that...

Despite lots of snow over the past few weeks, much of Wisconsin remains mostly dry.
Almost 89 percent of the land area in the Badger State is abnormally dry or worse, according to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Wisconsin Emergency Management’s Tod Pritchard says even heavy snow storms in recent weeks hasn’t changed much, although it did help. “As much as we hate the winter and we hate the snow storms that keep going through — well, you know, some folks do — these snow storms have really been a godsend for the farmers.”
The water table has been dry all winter.

Read more at wsau.com

Bbc.co.uk reports that...

A large dust storm has greatly affected visibility and disrupted traffic across Xinjiang Uygur in northwest China.
BBC Weather’s Chris Fawkes brings us the latest on BBC World.

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Usnews.nbcnews.com reports that...

New England residents hunkered down Friday as a late-season storm two feet of snow in some areas before moving out to sea Friday afternoon. The storm also brought high winds that battered Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Long Island, the Weather Channel reported. A winter storm warning remained in effect for the region through 1 p.m., with snowfall expected to lessen through the afternoon. Some parts of central Massachusetts and Connecticut could stand to close out the blustery day with nearly two feet of fresh snow, the National Weather Service predicted in an increase over earlier estimates.

Read more at usnews.nbcnews.com