As a country-wide system swings through the nation, a severe weather risk continues to expand its reach across the south and central U.S. This is a sign the fall season is trying to get fully underway, with summertime leftovers trying to bounce back creating this window for strong storms.

Climate scientists say the record for the hottest day globally has been broken for the second consecutive day and that the worldwide temperature could rise yet more this week.

Much of the U.S. is bracing for extreme weather — especially high temperatures — this weekend and into next week.

Doctors and clinic leaders say there’ll be a scramble across the Southwest and West for abortion care.

Wildlife advocates are suing federal officials after they missed a deadline to decide if protections for wolves should be restored across the northern U.S. Rocky Mountains.

Drought-prone cities in the U.S. West are mapping snow by plane to refine their water forecasts.

Denver’s winter has started with a whimper, and the parched mountains to the west aren’t faring much better.

New data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals July was the hottest month on record for Earth.

Colorado officials say mudslides caused “extreme damage” to a major interstate, leaving it clogged with boulders and rocks and no word on when it might reopen.

Fish and Wildlife Service is a grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. Grizzly bears are slowly expanding in the northern Rocky Mountains but scientists say they need continued protections and have concluded no other areas of the country would be suitable for the fearsome animals. The Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday released its first assessment in almost a decade about the status of grizzly bears in the contiguous U.S. Conservationists and some university scientists have pushed to return bears to areas including Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and California’s Sierra Nevada. Grizzly bears have been protected as a threatened species in the contiguous U.S. since 1975, allowing a slow recovery in a handful of areas.

This image provided by Colorado Avalanche Information Center shows an avalanche that killed an unidentified snowboarder on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, near the town of Winter Park in Colorado. When you pile on more snow, there’s always one spot that’s going to break,” said Ethan Greene, director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Jared Polis and the state parks and wildlife agency urged residents to check conditions this holiday weekend, citing the high danger. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued a special advisory Monday, warning that “large, wide and long-running natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely.”Are people getting the message? “The bottom line is that partner rescue is the only way we have positive outcomes in the backcountry,” Zinn said.

Local propane tank shortages result not just from higher demand but household hoarding similar to the pandemic run on toilet paper and other goods. One national tank supplier reported a 38% sales increase this winter, said Tom Clark, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Propane Association. But trying to find a steady supply of propane can cost already-stressed businesses time and money they lack in the pandemic. They discovered that propane tanks carry a date-of-manufacture stamp. Their employees also had to quickly learn to hook up propane tanks and light heaters, needed in a place where temperatures can plunge well below zero (minus 18 Celsius) in winter.

Heat and strong winds also hit California and parts of the Pacific Northwest over the holiday weekend, triggering destructive wildfires. Snow fell in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, where portions of Interstate 80 closed and forecasters predicted up to a foot (30 centimeters) in the mountains and temperatures in the teens (-7 Celsius) overnight. Several northern Utah school districts canceled classes, and officials warned people to stay inside if possible to avoid flying debris, downed power lines and other dangers. Several semitrailer trucks blew over on northern Utah highways. Freeze and frost warnings also were posted for parts of Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota and Minnesota.

A treasure chest estimated to be worth over a million dollars hidden in the Rocky Mountains for a decade has finally been found. It was hidden there by art and antiquities collector Forrest Fenn. He used it to create a treasure hunt to inspire people to explore nature and give hope to those affected by the great recession. He told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the man who found the chest a few days ago wants to say anonymous. Fenn estimates that up to 350,000 people from all over the world hunted for the treasure.