Drought

  • Droughts come and go as a natural part of climate. Some species of plants and animals are adapted to drought and need it as part of their life cycle. However, prolonged drought can cause devastation to the areas that are affected by it, and the people that live there can suffer significant hardship due to…

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  • The latest Drought Monitor, released today, shows only slight changes in most of the region from last week’s map. The biggest change was in Alabama, where recent rains have eliminated the small area of drought and substantially reduced the area of abnormally dry (D0) conditions. Other states had small changes to the areas of abnormally…

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  • How does dust affect climate across the world? While we don’t think about it too often here in the Southeast, it is a big issue in other parts of the country and the world. Dust can affect the transmission of sunlight to the surface, coat the surfaces of glaciers (which affects how they melt), and…

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  • I ran across a very interesting (new to me) blog this week on soil with an article on soil moisture and its importance to agriculture. The University of Georgia weather network cooperates with the group described in the article; that group collects soil moisture from agricultural weather networks across the US because it is critical…

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  • The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows that most states have seen slight improvements in drought conditions compared to last week. This is due to recent rains that have improved conditions. The exception is Florida, where an area of severe (D2) drought on the southwest coast expanded due to continuing lack of rainfall. In…

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  • The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows that overall, the area affected by drought in the Southeast remained essentially the same as last week, but the severity of the drought increased in some places. Severe (D2) drought expanded in eastern North Carolina and a new area of severe drought formed in southwestern Florida. Moderate…

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  • While most of the Southeast is not currently in a drought, dry conditions and drought are a natural part of climate, so it is not surprising that droughts are currently affecting other parts of the world now. Here are some recent stories on drought I have read that may interest you. National Geographic: The drought…

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