Drought
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This is the time of year that abnormally dry conditions can really start to affect agricultural production. This is true for both planting (seeds need moisture to germinate) and crop development. The Drought Monitor does not always do a good job of capturing the changing conditions as rapidly as we might like. In the past…
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The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows a big expansion in abnormally dry conditions (D0) in Georgia and South Carolina, with smaller increases in Alabama and North Carolina. The moderate (D1) drought in South Florida decreased slightly and dry conditions were reduced there due to the rain along the stalled front in northern FL…
Posted in: Drought -
While we pay attention to drought here in the US, it is also occurring in other places. One of the worst hit countries this year has been Taiwan, where some reservoirs hold only 7 percent of their usual capacity due to lack of rain from typhoons and the typical rainy season. This has caused the…
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With the end of the West Coast wet season drawing to a close, it appears that areas west of the Rockies are likely to see the drought that is already established there get worse. Drought conditions east of the Rockies are also likely to spread and strengthen, leading to poor conditions for agriculture in the…
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The huge reservoirs that store water in the Western US are so low that with the continuing drought there, they are expected to reach historic lows this summer. This could trigger the federal government’s first-ever official shortage declaration and lead to cuts in Arizona and Nevada’s water supply. Lower lake levels also means a reduction…
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The National Drought Mitigation Center now offers two ways to get monthly drought summaries. One is a Drought Summary that describes the current drought situation across the US by the weather and climate data that describe shortages of water, and the other is a more story-based summary that provides an Impact Summary of the drought…
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The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows only slight changes in abnormally dry (D0) conditions this week, with the biggest reductions in Alabama where they have had the most rain. Other parts of the region have seen almost no changes, including Puerto Rico. The heaviest rain this coming week will be focused along a…
Posted in: Drought