Heat, drought make for miserable combo for southwest U.S.

Albuquerque, N.M. • It’s grim news for the western U.S.The latest maps show most of the southern half of the region is mired by drought, with extreme conditions centered over much of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. In fact, Las Vegas has gone more than four months without measurable rain and Bishop, California — just northwest of Death Valley — has logged 135 thirsty days. Forecasters have created an interactive website to keep track of the dry streak.The state climato