It is no surprise to anyone who needs rain that drought is expanding across the Southeast, and the latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows that expansion in a big way. For the region as a whole, almost 39 percent is now classified as moderate drought (D1) or worse. Virginia jumped from 5 to 53 percent of their area covered in moderate drought. North Carolina jumped from 0.3 to 29 percent of their area in moderate drought and a small area of severe (D2) drought was added in the west. In South Carolina, almost 45 percent is in drought, including 15 percent in severe drought in the central Piedmont region. Georgia’s region of severe drought expanded from 1 to 13 percent, and virtually all of the state (over 99 percent) is now classified as abnormally dry or worse. Alabama jumped from 13 to 30 percent in drought, including a small area of extreme (D3) drought just south of Birmingham. Florida also a large increase in drought and the addition of a small area of severe drought in the Panhandle region. Puerto Rico is the only area that did not see an expansion of drought, but severe drought continues there on the southern half of the island.
I am seeing an increase in calls about drought conditions from the media as well as emails from producers who are feeding hay to their livestock because their pastures have stopped growing. Dryland peanut growers are having a hard time harvesting with the ground so hard. Grape growers, on the other hand, like the dry weather because it concentrates the sugar in the berries and reduces fungal diseases (and they are mostly irrigated). I guess we can hope for some excellent wines next year!
With record-setting temperatures in many parts of the region this week and virtually no chance for rain in many areas, the drought is likely to continue to spread on next week’s map. Happily, there is some indication of at least some temporary relief in parts of the region this weekend with rain from a cold front that is expected to move through the area, but it will be scattered, and it may take until the second week in October before we see a real change in the weather patterns to put us back in a wetter regime.
