You may not be aware that there are regular webinars on climate conditions in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin offered to stakeholders in the ACF region. During non-drought periods they are offered once a month but lately because of the drought in parts of the basin, we have been holding them bi-weekly. The next one will be held on Wednesday October 26 at 1 pm EDT.
The webinars are hosted by Auburn University and sponsored by NOAA’s NIDIS (National Integrated Drought Information System) program. They provide a look at current climate conditions and outlooks for the next few weeks. They are focused on the ACF basin but most of the discussion covers the entire Southeast, not just that basin, so many of you might find it useful. The webinar usually consists of a review of current climate conditions by David Zierden, the Florida State Climatologist, followed by reports from the National Weather Service Southeast River Forecast Center, US Geological Survey, and Army Corps of Engineers. An outlook for future conditions is also included in the webinar. We also discuss impacts of current drought on agriculture and water supplies.
Because of the exceptional or extreme drought conditions that are present in parts of the basin now and the likelihood that things will deteriorate in the next few weeks with little to no rain, those of you in or near the ACF basin may find this webinar helpful. We welcome your participation and comments about drought impacts in your area. I will post access information for the webinar on Tuesday so that you will get it in the Wednesday morning digest email. I believe they are now also archiving them for later review, and I will post that information as well for those who can’t make it in person.
