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Today is the first day of astronomical summer, as the sun reaches its highest point in the noon sky. Climatologists don’t use June 21 as the first day of climatological summer, though, since for most people the warmest temperatures align best with the June 1-August 31 period. But it is still a good chance to…
Posted in: Climate outlooks -
Scientists at the University of Florida have created a new model that may help growers plant at optimal times and avoid drought. The model, called ARID (Agricultural Reference Index for Drought), predicts water loss for crops like cotton, peanuts, soybeans and corn, using weather variables like temperature, humidity, wind and solar energy and translates that…
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Reuters news service reported yesterday that desertification is affecting about a fourth of India’s land. Agricultural lands are becoming degraded and threatening food security in this highly populated country. The main causes of the desertification are overgrazing and heavy land use coupled with changes in rainfall over time. Some of the areas most affected are…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
Yesterday’s USDA Agricultural Weather Highlights mentioned that much of the Eastern US is under the influence of the Bermuda High, which is continuing to cause hotter and more humid conditions than usual. What is the Bermuda High and how does it affect the weather and climate of the Southeast? A simple explanation is provided by…
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The State Climate Office of North Carolina posted a new blog entry today which describes four ways that weather affects plant growth by guest blogger Dr. Mike Yoder of the Animal Sciences Department of NCSU. This is a great overview of the ways in which crop growth, diseases and pests are affected by environmental conditions.…
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David Zierden, the Florida State Climatologist, sent along this note on yellow flies in the Southeast: Folks who frequent or work outside close to wooded areas in Florida and the Southeast in the summer are familiar with yellow flies. What we call “yellow flies” often refers to several different species including deer flies, true yellow…
Posted in: Uncategorized -
The CoCoRaHS network celebrated a milestone today, passing its 16th anniversary since it was started in Colorado. This volunteer network of precipitation observers has spread across the country and has included Georgia for the last six years as well as other states in the Southeast. CoCoRaHS stands for Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network. …