Worsening Dry Spell Won’t Tip Lake Mead Into Shortage — Yet

An already dry winter for the Colorado River has gotten worse in recent weeks, but it won’t be enough to send Lake Mead to a record low — at least not right away. Despite worsening conditions in the mountains that feed the Colorado, forecasters still expect the reservoir east of Las Vegas to contain just enough water by the end of the year to avoid a first-ever federal shortage declaration. A month ago, the Colorado River Basin was on track for its seventh-driest winter in more than half a century.