Climate and Ag in the news
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The latest Drought Monitor has brought abnormally dry (D0) conditions back to Georgia for the first time since last December (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/). According to the discussion for the Southeast, 30-day moisture deficits and declining soil moisture and pasture conditions have led the authors to conclude that we may be in the early stages of a “flash”…
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Recent observations of the eastern Pacific Ocean show that the expected El Nino has not developed as predicted and that even though the ocean temperatures are showing warming, the atmosphere has not followed suit, leading to mediocre El Nino signals. This makes it more likely that if El Nino develops (as is still expected), it…
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You may have seen some news reports mentioning that NOAA recently reinstated July 1936 as the hottest month on record for the US, and heard the subsequent uproar from political commentators. Here is a column from David Zierden, the Florida State Climatologist, discussing this topic: “NOAA Reinstates July 1936 as the Hottest Month on Record”…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
The Packer noted this week that lemons could top $50 per box this year due to frost in Chile and the drought in California in this article posted here. Lemons are no longer grown commercially in Florida due to the severe frosts of the 1970’s, which wiped out many groves, according to the Tampa Bay…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
Twenty years ago this weekend, central Georgia experienced the massive flooding from Tropical Storm Alberto. The current 24 hour rainfall record for Georgia, 21.10 inches, fell in Americus on July 6, 1994 during the storm. The extreme rainfall caused tremendous devastation in Macon, Montezuma, Albany and other areas in central and southwest Georgia. Here are…
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A recent article in the Farm Journal discusses how increases in severe weather as well as changes in climate are forcing farmers to consider new approaches to farming, including increased water storage, crop rotations, and new seed varieties. Farmers are realizing they need to adapt to higher temperatures, more variable rainfalls, and heavier storm intensities…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
If you’ve noticed hazy skies today, they are not due to the usual summer humidity, but instead are due to a cloud of dust blowing off the Sahara desert. You can see the story from 11Alive by clicking here.
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news