(L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
A barrel is exposed near tumbleweed at Lake Mead on Boulder Beach at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on Dec. 27. Dan McEvoy, regional climatologist at Desert Research Institute, said hefty early snowfall this season is encouraging, “but in terms of making a dent in the long term deficit in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, there’s still a very long way to go to get out of that drought.”