Climate and Ag in the news
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According to NOAA’s latest ENSO post, we are on the verge of going back into a La Nina, with a 70-80 percent chance of occurrence over the winter. All of the conditions are ripe for us to cross the magic threshold of ocean temperatures more than 1/2 degree C below the long-term average. You might…
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Nicholas was downgraded to a tropical depression earlier today. While Nicholas was stronger, gusty winds knocked down some trees and power lines, but now it is mostly just a rain event. Lots of rain. The old rule of thumb for rain from a tropical system is the total amount of rain from a storm in…
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As you probably know, California is in a massive drought right now, and agricultural producers are struggling to get enough water to sustain their crops. In some cases, they are plowing under the crops or destroying orchards because they don’t have irrigation available to keep them going. This situation is likely to get worse as…
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In their latest blog post, the North Carolina State Climate Office folks provide some interesting statistical details about the hottest day of the year at stations across the state and how they vary due to geography. When do you think the hottest day is? Is it when the sun is highest in the sky on…
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I spend a lot of time talking about the changing climate to a wide variety of audiences. It’s a tricky thing to do because a lot of the sources I use to document the changes are scientific journals with their own set of jargon. If I try to use those words in communicating to non-scientists…
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If you are following the news out west, you know that Lakes Mead and Powell are at low levels not seen since the reservoirs were filling up. Now, after years of drought and overuse of water, they are running out of water. Here is a good historical perspective from Colorado Assistant State Climatologist Becky Bolinger…
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As more surveys are completed, additional information about how Hurricane Ida has affected agriculture in the US have come out. Here are a few additional stories of interest. Modern Farmer: How Has Hurricane Ida Affected Agriculture and Food? AgWeb: Corn Prices Sink on Bleak Export Outlook After Hurricane Ida Crashes Into Gulf Coast Reuters: U.S.…