2018
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This time of year farmers are chomping at the bit to get out into the fields and start planting their crops for the season. I’ve seen a number of comments online that planting of corn is well underway in southern Georgia already. But this article from AgWeb points out that planting when the soil is…
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Futurity.org posted an interesting article recently about how shifts in temperature and precipitation in the eastern US are changing the populations of tree species around the regions. While some of the changes are expected due to an increase in temperature over time, some of the other changes are unexpected. For example, changes in the carbon…
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Every month I post maps and links to the latest seasonal forecasts from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. Most of you read them, and some of you even believe them. Here in the Southeast we generally have a better chance of skill because our winter climate is tied to the ENSO phase (currently coming out of…
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A major weather or climate disaster like floods, wildfires or drought can affect tourism into the area for months after the event ends. We saw this in 2016 in the Southeast with the wildfires in the southern Appalachians, where visits to Gatlinburg TN and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park were reduced by peoples’ perceptions…
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Rain the past week has improved drought conditions in northern Florida but severe drought expanded in southeastern Georgia and has now extended into the far southern tip of South Carolina according to the latest Drought Monitor released today. Moderate drought has also expanded in southern Florida due to the lack of rain there.
Posted in: Drought -
Weather and climate are frequently in the news. I tend not to talk much about current weather because it changes faster than this blog, although I occasionally mention upcoming frost or tropical storm events. On the longer term, there are some interesting stories around that are informative or entertaining to read. Here are a few…
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The latest summary of global climate was released by NOAA this week. It covers both February and the winter period from December 2017 through February 2018. The data show that for the globe as a whole in February, it was the coolest since 2014 but the 11th warmest since records began in 1880. The winter…
Posted in: Climate summaries