Stories by Mose Buchele, KUT
Bald eagle sightings appear to be on the rise in Austin
A slew of bald eagle sightings in Austin has excited birders and nonbirders alike. The iconic raptors are not particularly common in the area, but, according to reports by citizen scientists, their numbers appear to be on the rise. The…
Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Dec 13, 2023
Austin declared new drought restrictions in August. Water use stayed the same.
Lee esta historia en español On Aug. 15, Austin was 39 days into its longest triple-digit heat wave ever recorded. The extreme heat had created a “climate feedback loop,” locking in the worst drought the city has seen in 113…
Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Dec 12, 2023
Austin announces new water restrictions on everything from lawns to dining out
With water levels continuing to drop in the Highland Lakes reservoirs that supply Austin, the city announced Stage 2 water restrictions to take effect Tuesday. Even if you don’t have a lawn or don’t bother watering the lawn you have,…
Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Aug 15, 2023
A ‘climate feedback loop’: Why Austin is locked in one of its hottest summers ever
This summer has been among the hottest and hardest in memory. Austin broke an all-time heat index record in June when the “feels like” temperature topped off at 118 degrees. Then, we had our hottest July ever recorded. This week, only halfway through…
Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Aug 14, 2023
Austin just had its hottest July ever. Could this summer break an all-time record?
It’s now official: This July was the hottest ever recorded for the Austin area – and the city’s second-hottest month ever, behind August 2011. And this heat is probably not done breaking records. With August still ahead, there’s a chance…
Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Aug 2, 2023
A lot of that green sludge in Lady Bird Lake is actually a sign of a healthy waterway
If you’ve been near Austin’s Lady Bird Lake lately, you might have noticed a little less water is visible. Parts of the lake, especially along the shores and inlets, are covered in mats of green vegetation. It can look goopy,…
Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jul 26, 2023
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Far fewer monarch butterflies are migrating through Texas this spring
Lee esta historia en español It’s the time of year when monarch butterflies pass through Texas on their annual migration. But you might not see as many as last spring. One reason? The number of monarchs that spent the winter…
Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Apr 12, 2023
Downstream of Austin, Texas rice farmers face another year without Colorado River water
Lee esta historia en español Talking on the phone from his tractor in Colorado County, Texas, Craig Gutman said he was not surprised to hear water would not be available for rice farmers like him this year. “I was pretty…
Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Mar 7, 2023
The ice storm damaged some kinds of trees more than others
The ice storm did not affect all of Austin equally. While damaged trees and power outages occurred across town, they seemed to concentrate in certain parts of the city, especially on the west side. There are many reasons for this.…
Austin • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Feb 7, 2023
Can ERCOT even be sued? Texas Supreme Court will decide.
The Supreme Court of Texas will hear oral arguments Monday in a case that could decide the future of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. At issue: whether the group that runs the Texas energy grid is, in fact, a…
Courts • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jan 9, 2023
November delivered more rain than usual to Austin, but not enough to shake the drought
It’s been a wet November in Central Texas, with cold, rainy days through the week of the Thanksgiving holiday. That weather might have affected your plans, but was a welcome break from continuing drought. It was also another unusual twist…
Austin • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Nov 29, 2022
Austin is looking for a place to store massive amounts of water to pull from during droughts
Austin is planning a big underground water storage project that would provide the city with another source of water during droughts. But city planners are not sure exactly where to put it. This week, they’ll meet with residents of Lee,…
